Ford, the parent company of Lincoln, is recalling more than 979,000 trucks and SUVs because the owner’s manual does not feature instructions for adjusting or removing certain head restraints.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed in a letter (pdf) on June 15 that Ford’s recall affects certain 2018–2023 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUV models that have third-row seating, as well as 2019–2023 Ford Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, and F-600 SuperCab vehicles and three-passenger front bench seat regular cab models.
Without instructions detailing how to adjust head restraints, these vehicles do not comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 202, “Head Restraints,” according to the NHTSA.
The agency also stressed that occupants may improperly adjust the head restraint without the owner’s manual, which may increase the risk of an injury if the vehicle is involved in an accident.
The letter did not include information on whether any accidents or injuries have been related to the issue.
Ford will rectify the issue by mailing addendums of the owner’s manuals to customers of the affected products describing “how to adjust and remove head restraints for the center seating positions.”
The automaker will begin to mail the addendums free of charge to customers in the period between July 10 and July 24, the NGTSA said. Vehicle owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 for additional questions. The number for this particular recall is 23C20.
According to AutoEvolution, Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group became aware of the problem on May 11. A subsequent investigation then determined that “human error” was to blame for the missing owner’s manual information.
The recall affects 400,192 units of the Ford Expedition, along with 92,896 examples of the Lincoln Navigator, and 486,709 Super Duty trucks, the paper reported.
List of recalled vehicles:
- 2018–2023 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs equipped with third-row seating;
- 2019–2023 F-Super Duty F-250;
- 2019–2023 F-Super Duty F-350;
- 2019–2023 F-Super Duty F-450;
- 2019–2023 F-Super Duty F-550;
- F-600 SuperCab and three-passenger front bench seat regular cab vehicles.
Recent Ford Recall
This wasn’t the first major recall America’s second-largest automaker issued this month. On June 6, Ford announced it was expanding and issuing a new recall for 125,000 sport utility vehicles and trucks because engine failures may cause a fire.
That recall covers various Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair SUVs and Maverick compact pickup trucks from the 2020–2023 model years with 2.5L hybrid or plug-in hybrid engines, according to the NHTSA.
Ford said isolated engine manufacturing issues can cause the engine to fail prematurely and in that event engine oil or fuel vapor may be released, increasing the risk of fire and injury.
The automaker initially recalled 100,000 Escape, Corsair, and Maverick models in the United States in July 2022 after identifying 23 reports globally of a fire or smoke after a suspected block or oil pan breach.
Ford confirmed on June 6 that it had reports of at least three vehicles that suffered fires after getting the 2022 recall fix. Ford, as well as the NHTSA, advised owners to park and shut off the engine if they hear unexpected engine noises, notice a reduction in vehicle power, or see smoke.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s website, Ford issued the most recalls in the United States so far this year, totaling more than 4.1 million “potentially affected” vehicles in 29 recalls.
In comparison, Chrysler comes in second place with more than 1.7 million “potentially affected” vehicles in a total of 26 recalls. General Motors, America’s largest automaker, issued 10 recalls so far this year, affecting more than 1.9 million vehicles.
Reuters contributed to this report.