Ford Recalls 52,000 Pickups That Can Roll Away

DEARBORN, MI — For the second time in a week, Ford Motor Co. said Saturday it is recalling 52,000 of its 2017 F-250 pickup trucks because they can roll away while parked. The Dearborn-based automaker said it isn’t aware of any injuries related to the manufacturing error.

Ford will inspect and repair the affected vehicles at no cost to the customer. In the meantime, the company has advised its customers to use the parking brake at all times when putting their trucks in the park to keep them in place.

According to a statement from Ford, a damaged park rod actuating plate might not work when the driver moves the shift lever to the park position. If the parking brake isn’t applied, “this could result in unintended vehicle movement with a gear selector in park without warning, increasing risk of injury or crash.”

The affected vehicles are gasoline-powered 6.2-liter engine vehicles built at the Kentucky Assembly Plant from Oct. 9, 2015 to March 30, 2017.

The majority of the recalled vehicles — 48,421 — were sold in the United States and its federalized territories, and 4,143 were sold in Canada. The Ford referencenumber for this recall is 17C96.

• See Also: Ford Recalls 440K Vehicles To Correct Fire Hazard, Door Latch Issues

Last week, Ford recalled more than 440,000 vehicles to correct engine fire hazards and doors that flew open during driving.

More than half of the vehicles affected by that recall — 230,000 SUVs, sedans and vans — were subject to under-the-hood fire hazards. Engines can overheat when coolants don’t circulate properly, resulting in a crack in the cylinder head that allows oil to leak onto hot engine surfaces, Ford said

Included in that vehicle were certain 2014 Ford Escapes, 2014 and 2015 Ford Fiesta STs, 2013-14 Ford Fusions and 2013, 2014 and 2015 Ford Transit Connect vehicles all equipped with 1.6-liter GTDI engines.

At least vehicle 29 fires in the United States and Canada have been reported, but Ford said it is not aware of any injuries.

Ford also said it was expanding a safety recall for certain 2014 Ford Fiesta, 2013-14 Ford Fusion and 2013-14 Lincoln MKZ vehicles to replace door latches to include 211,000 more vehicles.

Affected vehicles include 2014 Ford Fiestas, 2013 and 2014 Ford Fusions and 2013 and 2014 Lincoln MKZ vehicles.

In the affected vehicles, the pawl spring tab in the side door latch could break. A door latch with a fractured pawl spring tab typically results in a “door will not close” condition. A door that opens while driving increases the risk of injury.

Ford said it is not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with this issue in the vehicles included in this supplement to safety action 15S16.

(AP Photo/Alan Diaz)