Ford got hit with 2 new federal probes just days after paying a major fine
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Federal auto safety regulators on Monday announced two new investigations into Ford Motor Co. (F+1.91%) — just days after fining the automaker with the second-largest penalty in history for delaying recalls.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it had opened a preliminary evaluation to investigate allegations that model year 2021 Ford Bronco Sport SUVs were losing power. The regulator noted that it had received 15 reports describing the issue, adding that reports appeared similar to a previous recall related to model year 2022-2023 Ford Maverick pickups and 2021-2024 Ford Bronco Sport SUVs.
Some 456,000 vehicles are estimated to be affected by the alleged problems in the Maverick and Bronco Sport vehicles, which stem from a degrading battery that can fail. If it does, “consumers may experience a complete loss of engine power without the ability to restart, accompanied by the loss of 12V accessories, including hazard lights,” the NHTSA said.
The second investigation concerns the 2019-2020 model year Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. The NHTSA said it had received three complaints over a part in the Expeditions’ seat belts inadvertently deploying, which complaints say was marked by a loud sound followed by the seat belt “rapidly tightening.”
In February, Ford recalled model year 2018-2020 Expedition and 2018-2020 Navigator vehicles, which were equipped with seat belt retractor pretensioners that could have corroded parts. The faulty parts in those models were built between October 1, 2018, and June 30, 2019.
The NHTSA said the complaints allege that the 2019-2020 Expedition was not included in the recall but is experiencing the same failures. The agency added that it had also received reports alleging similar issues in Expedition and Navigator models made with parts outside the October 2018 to June 2019 timeframe. More than 112,560 units are included in the NHTSA’s inquiry.
The inquiries come after the NHTSA fined Ford up to $165 million for delaying the recall of more than 600,000 vehicles with defective rearview cameras. The civil penalty came as part of a consent order requiring Ford to review all recalls it has issued over the past three years.
Quality concerns aren’t new to Ford. The Detroit automaker was the leader in recalls for 2023 and recorded $1.9 billion in excess warranty costs.
Still, the company has reported progress on fixing those issues. Jim Farley, Ford’s CEO, last month pointed to the company’s lack of warranty spikes surrounding the high-volume launches of the model year 2024 F-150 and Escape vehicles. Farley has previously expressed regret over Ford’s delayed response to fully tackling its quality issues.
