- Over 420,000 Ford vehicles recalled in US due to faulty wiper splines.
- Stripped splines could mean wipers don’t move or move erratically.
- Affected models include Ford Super Duty trucks and Expedition SUV.
Ford’s CEO Jim Farley says the company is seeing quality improvements in its latest vehicles, but that’s not much comfort for drivers of older vehicles, who have been hit with another recall. A new US recall covering more than 420,000 vehicles highlights a fault with windscreen wipers that could stop doing their one essential job at exactly the wrong moment.
The issue centers on wiper arm splines that can become stripped, according to documentation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). When they do, drivers could suddenly lose visibility in rain or snow, which isn’t exactly ideal when you’re traveling at speed.
Having your wipers fail in the middle of a downpour is as scary as having your hood flip up on you, and is the kind of fault that can turn a routine drive into a major accident pretty quickly.
Also: Jim Farley Got His Biggest Ford Paycheck Ever For Hitting Quality Targets
Ford’s investigation found that the wiper arms can work loose due to a combination of a faulty latch retention plate and dimensional variability between the wiper motor knurl and the wiper arm. Both the driver and passenger-side arms are at risk, Ford suggesting owners might get a hint that something is wrong ahead of total failure if the wipers are moving at an unusual speed or just erratically.
Recalled Ford Vehicles
The affected models are the 2021-23 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs, and the 2022-23 Ford Super Duty pickups. Ford says it’s aware of the problem and is working on fixes, with dealers set to replace the faulty parts free of charge. That’s standard recall procedure, but it still means inconvenience for hundreds of thousands of owners.
Related: Ford Says Its Record-Breaking Recall Year Is Actually A Good Thing
What makes this more interesting is the timing. Ford led the industry in recalls last year, racking up well over 150 separate safety campaigns. CEO Jim Farley has been vocal about improving quality, and there are signs progress is being made internally.
As this recall shows, those improvements take time to filter through to cars already on the road, but if Farley is right, two or three years from now you ought to be reading far fewer stories like this.
