Ford Recalls 828,053 Vehicles For Faulty Door Latches

August 8, 2016 4:47 pm

Ford Motor Company is recalling several 2012 to 2015 model-year Ford and Lincoln vehicles over failure-prone door latches that could break, possibly preventing the door from closing properly so that it swings open while the vehicle is in motion.

The defect: a pawl spring tab in affected vehicles’ door latches can break, keeping the door from latching shut when closed. Affected vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 206, which establishes guidelines for “Door Locks and Door Retention Components.”

The hazards: should the latch fail on one of the vehicle side doors, the door might then swing open while driving, resulting in a distraction for the driver and a potential hazard in the event of a crash.

Affected vehicles:

2012-15 Focus manufactured August 1, 2010 through January 31, 2015 at the Michigan Assembly Plant
2013-15 C-MAX manufactured April 19, 2012 through January 31, 2015 at the Michigan Assembly Plant
2013-15 Escape manufactured October 19, 2011 through January 31, 2015 at the Louisville Assembly Plant
2015 Lincoln MKC manufactured December 4, 2013 through January 31, 2015 at the Louisville Assembly Plant
2015 Mustang manufactured May 28, 2014 through April 30, 2015 at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant
2014-16 Transit Connect manufactured August 9, 2013 through February 1, 2016 at the Valencia Assembly Plant

Number of affected vehicles: 828,053 total units, of which:

766,682 are in the United States
61,371 are in Mexico

The fix: Ford will begin notifying the owners of affected vehicles in the coming weeks, and authorized dealers will replace those vehicles’ door latches free-of-charge.

Additionally, Ford will launch a customer-satisfaction program for the owners of vehicles outside the scope of this recall; if one of those vehicles has a broken door latch, Ford will provide a one-time free replacement. The offer is good for the life of the vehicle.

Owners should: Ford owners who wish to know if their vehicle is included in the door latch recall should visit http://owner.ford.com and click on Safety Recalls at the bottom of the page. There, customers can enter their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to see any open safety, compliance or emissions recalls, as well as customer satisfaction programs.

Owners may also contact Ford customer service by using the following phone number:

Ford Customer Service: 1-866-436-7332

By Aaron Brzozowski

Aaron Brzozowski is a writer and motoring enthusiast from Detroit with an affinity for '80s German steel. He is not active on the Twitter these days, but you may send him a courier pigeon.