Ford F-150 recall travails continue

FORD Australia has recalled its locally converted F-150 for a fifth time, this time for lighting and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system Australian Design Rule (ADR) breaches affecting all four model variants.

A total of 2070 F-150 units have been recalled, across the four notices issued by the Department of Infrastructure, which include XLT standard- and long-wheelbase and Lariat standard- and long-wheelbase grades.

The recall notices relate to the courtesy lamps, as well as a compliance issue where the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) does not reactivate after an ignition cycle, with both issues breaching ADRs.

The recall states that the autonomous braking system failing to reactive could “increase the risk of an accident,” however the issue appears to be a compliance issue rather than a system fault.

According to the Ford Australia website the AEB issue only presents itself when a user has actively disabled the system, with the company stating: “There is also a non-compliance where if the customer actively disables the Autonomous Emergency Braking system, it does not reactivate at the next ignition cycle”.

Customers affected will receive recall letters asking them to contact an authorised Ford dealership, where issues will be rectified free of charge.

For more information, customers can contact a Ford dealer or call 13 FORD (13 3673).

Ford F-150 recall timeline:

January 4: Ford Australia issues stop ship and stop sale notice for F-150 after a potential issue is discovered with the model’s turbocharging system. The issue affects only vehicles converted locally by RMA Automotive.

January 23: Ford Australia issues a recall notice for F-150 models after a steering defect is found in those vehicles converted locally by RMA Automotive. At the time, it asked all owners to stop driving their vehicle immediately out of “an abundance of caution”.

January 30: Ford Australia issues a recall notice relating to a potential issue with the vehicle’s clock spring which could in turn affected the deployment of the driver’s frontal airbag. The recall was not related to the remanufacturing process of right-hand drive vehicles and affected just nine vehicles.

March 21: Ford Australia issues a recall notice for long-wheelbase versions of its locally converted F-150 range after it was found the vehicles were fitted with side indicator assemblies that did not comply with Australian Design Rule 13/00. The issue poses no risk to vehicle safety and will be addressed when suitable replacement parts are made available.

July 2: Ford Australia issues a recall for all four F-150 variants, relating to the courtesy lamps which do not comply with the requirements set out under Australian Design Rule (ADR) 13/00, as well as the autonomous emergency autonomous brake system not reactivating after an ignition cycle as per ADR 98/00.