- Ford has issued two new fire-related recalls impacting 140,256 vehicles.
- A vast majority of them are Rangers with a sun visor wiring issue.
- Company is also expanding a previous engine block heater recall.
Ford is once again demonstrating why they’re the undisputed recall king by issuing not one, but two fire-related recalls. The campaigns impact 140,256 vehicles and bring the Blue Oval’s recall count to 33, which is three times as many as its nearest competitor.
The largest campaign involves 140,201 Ranger pickups from the 2024-2026 model years. They have sun visor wiring that can short and cause a fire.
Ford became aware of the issue last October following an inspection of a 2024 Ranger that burst into flames. “Visual evidence suggested the fire may have originated from an electrical short in the power lead of the sun visor” and the vehicle had a diagnostic trouble code for a short in the sun visor lamp.
The automaker began looking into the issue and found “two notable findings.” The first was that protective tape around the headliner wiring circuit was too thick. This meant the harness could become stuck in a metal opening and damage one of the wire circuits.
The second problem was a wiring placement issue as an “improperly routed wiring harness may lead to unintended harness-to-metal contact, which may result in wiring damage.”
The combination of these issues results in damaged wires that can come in contact with one another or the truck’s sheet metal. This can cause arcing, short circuits, body control module restarts, smoke, burns, melting, and fires. The issue appears to start out small, but repeated shorts and arcing over time builds up soot and can eventually result in a fire.
Ford is aware of three warranty claims, two field reports, and one customer service record related to the issue. However, these only involved four vehicles and an actual flame was only reported in one case. The other three trucks just exhibited “smoke or burn evidence.” Thankfully, no injuries are accidents have been reported.
To address the fire risk, dealers will inspect vehicles for a history of B14AA-11 diagnostic trouble codes, which indicate a short in the sun visor lamp. If a history of problems is found, technicians will inspect the sun visor wiring harness for damage and replace it, if necessary.
All vehicles will also be updated with new body control module software, which turns off power to the sun visor lamp after detecting a certain number of B14AA trouble codes.
There doesn’t appear to be a fix at the moment, but customers will get interim letters later this month. Once a remedy is available, they’ll receive a second letter, likely in August.
Expanded Engine Block Heater Recall
The second recall should sound familiar as Ford is expanding a previous campaign impacting 6,781 vehicles over engine block heater fires. It adds 55 more into the mix including the 2025 Maverick and 2026 Bronco Sport.
According to the safety recall report, “the design of the block heater element, its packaging in 1.5L and 2.0L MPC engine blocks, and the installation angle in affected vehicles” results in the heater being susceptible to overheating when plugged in. This increases the risk of a fire as well as the risk of coolant leaks and electrical connector damage.
The initial recall was approved last year, but the automaker opened an investigation in February after discovering Bronco Sports with block heaters had “erroneously” been built and shipped despite a stop build order being in place. In total, 47 Bronco Sports and 8 Mavericks slipped through the cracks.
Owners will be informed later this month and told to stop using their heaters. A fix is expected in June and it will see dealers replace the block heater and inspect/replace the electrical cord.
