Ford has released an announcement that recalls nearly 50,000 of their vehicles in the U.S. because of safety hazards regarding fire risk concerns.
The first batch consists of 2015-2016 Ford Transit vehicles of the low-roof variant, currently in the North American region. These certain models may have side-curtain airbag issues which have to be reassessed and adjusted accordingly. About 38,000 units are calculated to be affected and may not perform their safety functions as expected.
These units are said to have side-curtain airbags improperly positioned on either or both sides of the vehicle. This increases the risk of suffering certain injuries during vehicular accidents if left unchecked. Ford states that no related reports have been filed as of yet.
The last batch is of 2015-2016 Ford F-650 and F-750 type vehicles. These units have parking brake cable connector clips that weren't built according to the company's safety standards and specifications.
In some situations wherein the heavy-duty truck would be parked, the connector clips could easily break and cause unwanted injuries. No incidents of this kind have been reported to Ford.
These vehicles were manufactured at the Escobedo Assembly Plant during Jan. 28, 2015, until April 23, 2015, and at the Ohio Assembly Plant during Jan. 31, 2015, until Nov. 30, 2015. Overall, 4,764 units carry the issue, of which 4,654 are in the United States and federalized countries while 110 units are in Canada.
Ford also said that dealers across the country will repair these recalled vehicles, free of charge. Side-curtain airbags will be adjusted to the right position; engine block heaters will be removed and swapped with an updated design; while parking brake cable connector clips will be replaced.
