Ford F-150 recalls 1.48 million pickups due to crash concern

DETROIT – Ford Motor Co. is aware of at least five accidents involving the best-selling F-150 pickup caused by unintended downshifting into first gear, which can lead to loss of control and crashes.

Ford issued a recall Wednesday for 1.48 million F-150s in North America for model years 2011-13, along with recalls on brand new cars and SUVs.

Ford also said about 28,000 Lincoln Continentals, model years 2017-19, have door latches that may open while driving. A third recall affects the 2019 Ford Mustang, 2019 Lincoln Nautilus and 2019 Lincoln Navigator vehicles – approximately 4,350 total in North America – that may show blank instrument panels when the vehicles start.

Ford released the following explanations for each vehicle:

Ford F-150

Some 2011-13 Ford F-150 vehicles with 6-speed automatic transmissions may experience “an intermittent loss of the transmission output speed sensor signal to the powertrain control module, potentially resulting in a temporary, unintended downshift into first gear.” Depending on vehicle speed, a downshift to first gear without warning could result in a loss of control.

Ford is aware of five reports of accidents, including one report of “whiplash” potentially related to this condition.

The recall affects approximately 1.48 million vehicles, including approximately 1.26 million in the United States and its territories and approximately 221,000 in Canada.

Affected vehicles were built at the Dearborn Assembly Plant.

Dealers will update the powertrain control module software in the affected vehicles. The Ford reference number for this recall is 19S07.

Lincoln Continental

Some 2017-19 Lincoln Continentals may have an intermittently functioning door latch motor due to the buildup of silicon contamination; as a result, the door latch may not fully engage. This condition could increase the potential for the door to open while driving, increasing the risk of injury.

Ford is not aware of any reports of accidents or injuries resulting from this condition.

This action affects approximately 27,000 vehicles in the United States and territories and approximately 1,200 in Canada.

Affected vehicles were built at Flat Rock Assembly Plant.

Dealers will remove and replace the door latch assemblies in all four doors of the affected vehicles. The Ford reference number for this recall is 19S03.

Mustang, Nautilus, Navigator

Some 2019 Ford Mustang, Lincoln Nautilus and Lincoln Navigators may have instrument panels with faulty assembly that shows a blank screen upon vehicle startup.

The recall affects approximately 4,200 vehicles.

Affected vehicles include: 2019 Mustangs built at Flat Rock; 2019 Lincoln Nautilus SUVs built at Oakville Assembly Plant; 2019 Lincoln Navigators built at Kentucky Truck Plant.

Dealers will update the instrument panel cluster software. The Ford reference number for this recall is 19C03.

Just a week ago, Ford recalled 3,500 brand-new Ranger midsize pickups because of wiring that may prevent the vehicle from locking in park, and then allowing the driver to shift out of park with the vehicle off.

The 2019 Ranger went on sale in January and, company officials have said, has proved immediately popular.

Ford spokeswoman Monique Brentley said the company has issued seven recalls in the first six weeks of 2019.

“We move quickly on behalf of our customers when we determine a safety recall is needed with our decisions driven by the available data,” she said. “We recognize the inconvenience recalls cause our customers. Yet customers also know these actions help ensure their safety and improve quality and customer satisfaction. We are absolutely committed to launching products with top quality and addressing issues when we see them.”

Brentley noted that the 2019 Takata airbag recall of 950,000 Fords from the 2010-14 model years was not unique to the Dearborn automaker.