Ford recalls over 450,000 vehicles due to loss of drive power
Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than 450,000 compact SUVs and pickup trucks over loss of drive power because of a battery issue.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the recall in a notice Wednesday, which affects 2022-2024 model year Bronco Sport SUVs and Maverick compact pickup trucks manufactured between 2022-2023.
An undetected low battery charge could lead to some electrical accessories such as hazard lights not functioning properly or cause a loss of drive power in affected vehicles, according to the NHTSA. The issue affects 456,565 vehicles.
Dealers will recalibrate the body control and powertrain control modules to fix the issue for free, the recall notice said.
FORD RECALLS NEARLY 43,000 VEHICLES OVER FUEL LEAKS THAT INCREASE FIRE RISK
"We are committed to ensuring the safety and satisfaction of our customers," Ford said in a statement. "Affected owners will receive a notification to have their vehicle software updated at no cost. Customers can use mobile service and pick-up and delivery to complete this recall."
A badge on a vehicle at a Ford dealership in New Lebanon, New York, on Jan. 25. (Credit: Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Last week, Ford issued another recall for tens of thousands of small SUVs over concerns cracked fuel injectors could leak, increasing the risk of sparking a fire in engines.
A notice posted by the NHTSA said the recall is for certain 2022-2023 Bronco Sport and 2022 Escape models with 1.5-liter engines, totaling 42,652 vehicles.
The NHTSA notice said Ford is addressing the issue by having dealers update the affected vehicles' engine control software to include fuel injector leak detection and installing a drain tube.
FORD SPOTLIGHTS A NEW LINEUP OF POPULAR TRUCKS
Owners will be contacted by Ford with a recall notice via mail sometime this month. Ford shares are little changed this year.
March and early April have seen a string of recall notices from other car manufacturers as well.
Hyundai and Kia have recalled more than 147,000 U.S. electric vehicles due to damaged charging units, which can stop charging the car's 12-volt battery and "result in a loss of drive power," the NHTSA said on March 22.
Kia's impacted vehicles include certain EV6 cars, with model years between 2022 and 2024 affected. Hyundai's impacted cars include certain IONIQ 5 vehicles with model years between 2022 and 2024.
KIA RECALLS OVER 427K VEHICLES THAT COULD ROLL AWAY WHILE IN PARK
On the same day, the NHTSA announced Chrysler was recalling around 286,000 vehicles over an issue with the side airbag inflators, which may rupture and injure or kill people.
According to separate notices posted by the NHTSA, the recalls involve certain Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 vehicles from model years 2018-2021, and replacement parts for airbags in roughly 1,000 vehicles.
On March 27, Subaru recalled 118,000 U.S. vehicles due to an issue that could prevent the airbags from deploying during a crash, the NHTSA said.
Certain Outback and Legacy vehicles that were manufactured between 2020 and 2022 were recalled because a capacitor in the sensors for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may crack and short circuit, according to the NHTSA.
Finally, on March 29, Kia recalled another 427,000 Telluride models in the U.S. made between 2020-2024 that have the potential to move while they are in park.
NHTSA warned that the intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft on the vehicles "may not be fully engaged due to suspected improper assembly by the supplier."
FOX Business' Breck Dumas and Daniella Genovese and Reuters contributed to this report.