NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Power Train complaints
277 reportsClear category filterMileage unknown · Feb 15, 2024
Power Train
Rear driveshaft support failed while driving. A lot of smoke, noise and very bad vibration. Was traveling at a low speed(25mph). If the driveshaft had come apart, it could have easily caused damage to the body and its passengers. It also could've struck and damaged any vehicles near by. After speaking to the Ford dealer, the…
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Rear driveshaft support failed while driving. A lot of smoke, noise and very bad vibration. Was traveling at a low speed(25mph). If the driveshaft had come apart, it could have easily caused damage to the body and its passengers. It also could've struck and damaged any vehicles near by. After speaking to the Ford dealer, they dais that it was a fairly common occurrence, which surprised me. Thanks for reading my complaint.
NHTSA ODI #11572216
Mileage unknown · Oct 24, 2023
Power Train
The transmission randomly gets stuck in 1st gear and won’t shift beyond that. The RPMs rev up real high and the only way to fix it is to pull off the road and turn the car off and back on. The transmission also bumps really hard shifting sometimes or revs up real high before shifting with a big thud. The dealership says they ca…
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The transmission randomly gets stuck in 1st gear and won’t shift beyond that. The RPMs rev up real high and the only way to fix it is to pull off the road and turn the car off and back on. The transmission also bumps really hard shifting sometimes or revs up real high before shifting with a big thud. The dealership says they can’t diagnose it if it’s not doing it when I bring it in. They said the same thing about my alternator when it kept going out on me driving. They never could get it to mess up when they had it.
NHTSA ODI #11551670
Mileage unknown · Oct 19, 2023
Power TrainSuspension
The contact owned a 2008 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently vibrated and jumped. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the passenger’s side CV axle seal and lower ball joint failed and nee…
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The contact owned a 2008 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently vibrated and jumped. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the passenger’s side CV axle seal and lower ball joint failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact was informed that the parts to do the repair had failed. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the repair required an unknown kit. The failure mileage was unavailable.
NHTSA ODI #11550863
Mileage unknown · Oct 5, 2023
Exterior LightingPower TrainService Brakes
Vehicle Hard Steering when drove Ford-from lot- Always something wrong with brakes-wheel bearings- wheels- Alignment Electrical Lightning for entire vehicle- Sunroof also included in malfunctions *Main SAFETY concern Front end / tranny Grinding amongst other noises
NHTSA ODI #11548379
120,000 miles · Oct 25, 2022
Power Train
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Edge. The contact stated while approaching a stop sign, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road, but the vehicle would not restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing, but no failure was found. The co…
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The contact owns a 2008 Ford Edge. The contact stated while approaching a stop sign, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road, but the vehicle would not restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing, but no failure was found. The contact stated that the failure persisted. On another occasion, while driving, the vehicle experienced hard shifting to 2nd gear and a delay in upshifting to the next gear. The manufacturer was contacted and stated there was no recall on the vehicle for the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
NHTSA ODI #11490864
Mileage unknown · Oct 19, 2022
Power Train
Transmission slipping like all the other complaints, should be a recall for sure after looking through all the same issues in this year of Ford Edge around 78K miles.
NHTSA ODI #11489993
Mileage unknown · Apr 21, 2022
Power Train
I own a 2008 Ford edge awd limited and yesterday while getting on the interstate my vehicle made a loud clunking sound I immediately pulled over I had it towed to the house and once it was evaluated we discovered that there was a crack in the transmission housing there was no prior signs of the problem when we started the vehicl…
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I own a 2008 Ford edge awd limited and yesterday while getting on the interstate my vehicle made a loud clunking sound I immediately pulled over I had it towed to the house and once it was evaluated we discovered that there was a crack in the transmission housing there was no prior signs of the problem when we started the vehicle and put it in reverse it wouldn't move killed the vehicle started back and put it in reverse and it moved but I will have to change the housing if not the whole transmission
NHTSA ODI #11461584
50,000 miles · Jun 22, 2021
EnginePower TrainFire
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle would not properly accelerate and the engine would misfire. Also on occasions, the check engine light had illuminated and the speed would not increase past 10 mph. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that th…
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The contact owns a 2008 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle would not properly accelerate and the engine would misfire. Also on occasions, the check engine light had illuminated and the speed would not increase past 10 mph. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the input-out sensor in the transmission was faulty causing the ignition coil to melt. The contact indicated that the PCM was also faulty. The vehicle was repaired but the failures continued to occur. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.
NHTSA ODI #11421818
211,000 miles · Apr 27, 2021
EnginePower TrainVehicle Speed Control
HERE WE ARE YEARS LATER AND STILL THE SAME ISSUES....LOSS OF POWER WITHOUT WARNING, SHUTS OFF WITH NO WARNING. BANGS WHEN SHIFTING, VERY ROUGH SHIFTING. FEELS LIKE ITS IN 1ST GEAR AND THEN SHIFTS ROUGHLY INTO GEAR, OR I HAVE TO STOP SHUT IT OFF AND START AGAIN. I SEE ALOT OF THE SAME COMPLAINT AND NO RECALL? ITS GETTIN STUPID NO…
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HERE WE ARE YEARS LATER AND STILL THE SAME ISSUES....LOSS OF POWER WITHOUT WARNING, SHUTS OFF WITH NO WARNING. BANGS WHEN SHIFTING, VERY ROUGH SHIFTING. FEELS LIKE ITS IN 1ST GEAR AND THEN SHIFTS ROUGHLY INTO GEAR, OR I HAVE TO STOP SHUT IT OFF AND START AGAIN. I SEE ALOT OF THE SAME COMPLAINT AND NO RECALL? ITS GETTIN STUPID NOW! THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED, IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE!
NHTSA ODI #11414086
157,763 miles · Mar 1, 2021
EnginePower TrainUnknown Or Other
VEHICLE STALLED WHILE REVERSING INTO A PARKING SPOT. BARELY STARTED. STALLED A FEW SECONDS LATER AFTER COMPLETING THE REVERSE INTO PARKING SPOT. BARELY STARTED AGAIN. GOT ON THE ROAD AND DRIVING FINE A FEW HUNDRED FEET, VEHICLE STALLED ALMOST RAN INTO A GROUP OF PARKED VEHICLES. BARELY STARTED AGAIN. MADE IT TO THE HIGHWAY TO GO…
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VEHICLE STALLED WHILE REVERSING INTO A PARKING SPOT. BARELY STARTED. STALLED A FEW SECONDS LATER AFTER COMPLETING THE REVERSE INTO PARKING SPOT. BARELY STARTED AGAIN. GOT ON THE ROAD AND DRIVING FINE A FEW HUNDRED FEET, VEHICLE STALLED ALMOST RAN INTO A GROUP OF PARKED VEHICLES. BARELY STARTED AGAIN. MADE IT TO THE HIGHWAY TO GO HOME AND WHILE DRIVING AT JUST UNDER 55MPH LIMIT VEHICLE STALLS IN THE PASSING LANE. ALMOST CAUSED A WRECK WITH SEVERAL VEHICLES INCLUDING A SEMI. DIDN'T START FOR A FEW MINUTES. VEHICLE STUTTERED TO START AND BARELY TURNED OVER. AFTER IT STARTED I SAT THERE AND WATCHED THE TACHOMETER, IT WOULD, WITHOUT MYSELF TOUCHING OR DOING ANYTHING, IDLE THEN JUMP A LITTLE AND DIP A LITTLE OVER AND OVER. THERE SEEMS TO BE NO CERTAIN SITUATION OR REASONING FOR WHEN, WHERE OR WHY IT WOULD STALL, COMPLETE RANDOMNESS! HIGHWAY DRIVING, SLOW STOP AND GO CITY DRIVING, REVERSING, IT SEEMS TO DO IT COMPLETELY RANDOMLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY BUT ALWAYS WHILE MOVING ONE DIRECTION OR THE OTHER. STRAIGHT LINE, TURNING, FAST, SLOW, DIDN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE. FINALLY WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY, CAME INTO TOWN AND I WAS ABLE TO STOP AT ALL THE LIGHTS AND GO BUT THEN OUT OF NO WHERE AGAIN DOING CLOSE TO THE 35MPH LIMIT IT STALLS AGAIN AND THIS TIME I WAS AT A 6 WAY INTERSECTION AND ALMOST HIT ANOTHER MOVING VEHICLE. MY FAMILY WILL NOT BE RIDING IN THIS VEHICLE AGAIN UNTIL SOMETHING IS DONE! THIS IS NOT NORMAL OR SAFE! NOT FOR ME OR ANYONE ELSE ON THE ROADWAY! I HAVE NO CLUE AS TO WHAT THE ISSUE COULD BE EXCEPT THAT IT'S THE MANUFACTURERS ISSUE. IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SINCE. VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN WRECKED, ABOVE AVERAGE MAINTENANCE INTERVALS, COMPLETELY MAINTAINED BUT THIS IS SOMETHING MORE THAN REGULAR 'WEAR AND TEAR' AS ONE WOULD SAY. NOT SAFE AT ALL!! COULD HAVE KILLED MYSELF, MY FAMILY OR SOMEONE ELSE WITH THIS PROBLEM!! NEEDS ATTENTION ASAP! EXTREMELY UNSAFE!
NHTSA ODI #11398586
Official recalls
6Mar 10, 2021
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 9, 2021 for the passenger side, and November 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S12.
Feb 16, 2021
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Additional source detail variants (3)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Air Bags:frontal
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Jan 10, 2017
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 Ford Fusion and Mustang and Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain 2009 Ford Ranger, Edge, Fusion and Mustang, Lincoln MKX, MKZ and Zephyr and Mercury Milan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Ford is recalling certain 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ, 2005-2008 Ford Mustang and 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners of the recall and that parts are not yet available began mailing March 1, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.
May 31, 2016
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles and 2005-2008 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Any vehicle not included in "Zone A", or "Zone B" is not included in the safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Ford mailed interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available on July 15, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.
Oct 29, 2014
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Lincoln MKX, and Ford Edge vehicles, manufactured June 15, 2006, to September 22, 2008, and originally sold, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Due to corrosion from salt water exposure such as from road salt use, the affected vehicles may leak fuel from the fuel tank seam weld under the tank mounting reinforcement brackets.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Interim notices were mailed to owners on December 12, 2014. The recall began on October 6, 2015. Dealers will inspect the vehicles and either clean and treat the fuel tank with a corrosion preventative or replace the tank, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S22.
Jul 3, 2008
FORD IS RECALLING 142 MY 2008 EDGE AND LINCOLN MKK ALL WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES. THE FUEL TANK WELD FIXTURE MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO A CONTAMINANT DURING PRODUCTION WHICH COULD CAUSE A DIMPLE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE FUEL TANK AT A SPOT WELD.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS DIMPLE COULD RESULT IN A FUEL LEAK OR A FUEL DRIP FROM THE TANK. FUEL LEAKAGE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE FUEL TANK FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 11, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-437-7332.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
2PE09031 · Front Suspension Lower Ball Joint
Opened Jul 13, 2009 · Closed Nov 19, 2009
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Ball Joint
ON JULY 13, 2009, THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATIONS (ODI) OPENED PRELIMINARY EVALUATION PE09-031 TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF FRONT LOWER BALL JOINT SEPARATION IN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2007 AND 2008 FORD EDGE AND LINCOLN MKX VEHICLES.THE INVESTIGATION WAS BASED ON THREE OWNER COMPLAINTS ALLEGING THAT THE FRONT LOWER BALL JOINT SEPARATED AND CAUSED THE FRONT SUSPENSION TO COLLAPSE WHILE DRIVING.ODI ALSO IDENTIFIED INFORMATION RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN EARLY WARNING DATA SUBMITTED BY FORD.PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS INDICATED THAT THE FAILURES WERE RELATED TO THE PINCH BOLT USED TO SECURE THE FRONT LOWER BALL JOINT STUD TO THE STEERING KNUCKLE.ONE COMPLAINT ALLEGED THAT A CRASH OCCURRED WHICH RESULTED IN A MINOR INJURY.HOWEVER, NO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION COULD BE OBTAINED TO SUPPORT THIS CLAIM.INFORMATION PROVIDED BY FORD IN RESPONSE TO ODI'S INFORMATION REQUEST LETTER FOR PE09-031 INDICATE THAT IN EARLY MY 2007 PRODUCTION THERE WERE SOME ISSUES WITH THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINT ASSEMBLY PROCESS.THE PINCH BOLTS USED WERE HAND STARTED AND HAD THE POTENTIAL TO CROSS THREAD AND NOT ACHIEVE PROPER CLAMP LOAD, POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN A LOOSE JOINT.IN NOVEMBER 2007, CHANGES WERE IMPLEMENTED TO CHASE AND CLEAN THE FIRST SIX THREADS OF THE BOLT TO PROVIDE EASIER HAND STARTING OF THE NUT AND ENSURE GOOD THREAD ENGAGEMENT BEFORE TIGHTENING. FORD ALSO IDENTIFIED ONGOING CONCERNS WITH THE POWER TRANSMISSION UNIT (PTU) SEALS AND FRONT SUSPENSION HYDRO-BUSHINGS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES, WHICH BOTH REQUIRE DISASSEMBLY OF THE FRONT LOWER BALL JOINT TO REPAIR.IF THE BALL JOINT IS NOT PROPERLY REASSEMBLED FOLLOWING SUCH SERVICE, THE JOINT MAY SEPARATE IN LATER SERVICE.FORD HAS PROVIDED ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS AND NEW PINCH BOLTS TO THE PTU REPAIR KIT TO IMPROVE THE JOINT REASSEMBLY PROCESS. ODI'S ANALYSIS OF FAILURE DATA IDENTIFIED 31 INCIDENTS OF JOINT SEPARATION (WITH 12 SPECIFICALLY STATING THAT THEY OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING).REPAIR RECORDS FOR THESE 31 VEHICLES SHOWS THAT 28 INVOLVE SEPARATION OF THE JOINT ON THE PASSENGER (RIGHT) SIDE, WHICH IS THE SIDE THAT MUST BE DISASSEMBLED FOR PTU SERVICE.TWENTY-THREE OF THESE WERE FOUND TO HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY DISASSEMBLED FOR CONTROL ARM BUSHING SERVICE, PTU SERVICE OR OTHER TRANSMISSION REPAIR. THE EIGHT CLAIMS THAT DID NOT INVOLVE PRIOR SERVICE REPAIRS REQUIRING JOINT DISASSEMBLY ALL OCCURRED VERY EARLY IN VEHICLE LIFE, INDICATING THAT IT IS UNLIKELY THAT ANY JOINTS MANUFACTURED WITH LOOSE PINCH BOLTS ARE STILL IN SERVICE.ALL OF THESE JOINTS FAILED WITHIN 6 MONTHS IN SERVICE AND 10,000 MILES (THE MAXIMUM FAILURE MILEAGE IS 8,097 MILES).THERE HAVEN'T BEEN ANY SUCH FAILURES (I.E., NOT INVOLVING PRIOR SERVICE/DISASSEMBLY) SINCE DECEMBER 2008.THE RATE FOR INCIDENTS THAT DID NOT OCCUR FOLLOWING SERVICE AND, THUS, MAY BE RELATED TO THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS ISSUES IDENTIFIED BY FORD IS VERY LOW (2.5 PER 100,000 VEHICLES) AND THESE INCIDENTS OCCURRED VERY EARLY IN THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLES AND ARE NOT SHOWING A CONTINUING FAILURE TREND.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN CLOSED. THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST. THE AGENCY WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR COMPLAINTS AND OTHER INFORMATION RELATING TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AND TAKE FURTHER ACTION IN THE FUTURE IF WARRANTED.
PE08060 · Tire Valve Cracking
Opened Oct 14, 2008 · Closed Apr 9, 2009
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Tires:valve
ON OCTOBER 14, 2008, ODI OPENED PE08-060 TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF CRACKED AND LEAKING SNAP-IN TIRE VALVES IN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2007 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY.THE VALVES WERE SUPPLIED TO FORD BY TOPSEAL AUTO-PARTS, A SUBSIDIARY OF THE SHANGHAI BAOLONG AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION IN CHINA.VALVES MADE BY TOPSEAL FOR AFTERMARKET SALE WERE THE SUBJECT OF TWO RECENT SAFETY RECALLS BY TECH INTERNATIONAL (08T-018) AND DILL AIR CONTROLS (08T-028), THE LATTER OF WHICH WAS INVESTIGATED BY ODI IN PE08-036 AND EA08-022.THE DEFECT CONDITIONS ADDRESSED BY THE AFTERMARKET TIRE VALVE RECALLS BOTH INVOLVED INADEQUATE RESISTANCE TO OZONE CRACKING DUE TO ISSUES WITH THE SUPPLY OF ANTI-OZONANT CHEMICALS TO TOPSEAL FOR A PERIOD FROM JULY TO MID-NOVEMBER 2006.THE AFTERMARKET VALVES WERE COMPOUNDED WITH A BLEND OF EPDM AND NATURAL RUBBER, USING A RELATIVELY LOW PERCENTAGE OF EPDM (EPDM PROVIDES INHERENT RESISTANCE TO OZONE CRACKING).HENCE, THE NEED FOR ANTI-OZONANT CHEMICALS AND THE PROBLEMS WITH CRACKING WHEN THOSE CHEMICALS WERE MISSING OR OUT OF SPECIFICATION IN SOME LOTS OF VALVES.BOTH RECALL CAMPAIGNS INVOLVED INSPECTION PROGRAMS TO IDENTIFY AND REPLACE VALVES WITH VISIBLE SURFACE CRACKING.ALTHOUGH THE TOPSEAL VALVES SUPPLIED TO FORD ALSO APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE ANTI-OZONANT SUPPLY ISSUES IN MID TO LATE-2006, FORD INDICATED THAT ITS VALVES WERE MADE AT A DIFFERENT TOPSEAL PRODUCTION LINE AND WERE COMPOUNDED WITH A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF EPDM RUBBER TO MEET MORE STRINGENT SPECIFICATIONS FROM FORD.ODI'S ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY DATA PROVIDED BY FORD SHOWED THAT PROBLEMS WITH CRACKED TIRE VALVES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER FOR MY 2007 VEHICLES PRODUCED FROM DECEMBER 2006 THROUGH MARCH 2007.FORD RESPONDED BY IMPLEMENTING CHANGES IN ITS MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR SNAP-IN RUBBER TIRE VALVES AND ALSO INCREASING THE QUALITY AND ACCEPTANCE STANDARDS FOR VALVES IMPORTED FOR USE IN ITS VEHICLES.WHILE THE COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY CLAIM RATES ARE ELEVATED FOR SUBJECT VEHICLES PRODUCED FROM DECEMBER 2006 THROUGH MARCH 2007, THE RATES OF LEAKING VALVES ARE WELL BELOW ONE PERCENT OF PRODUCTION FOR EACH OF THE PEAK MONTHS FOR ALL OF THE AFFECTED MODELS.A SUBSTANTIAL MAJORITY OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS (TPMS) WHICH WARN THE DRIVER WHEN ANY TIRE PRESSURES DROPS BELOW 25 PERCENT OF RECOMMENDED INFLATION PRESSURE. AS OUTLINED IN A LETTER TO ODI DATED APRIL 6, 2009, FORD HAS AGREED TO SEND LETTERS TO OWNERS OF CERTAIN MY 2007 AND 2008 FORD, LINCOLN AND MERCURY VEHICLES TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CRACKING CONCERN. LETTERS WILL BE SENT TO OWNERS OF VEHICLES BUILT FROM NOVEMBER 2006 THROUGH MAY 2007.OWNERS CAN OPT FOR A FREE DEALER INSPECTION.VALVES EXHIBITING SURFACE CRACKS OR AIR LEAKAGE RELATED TO OZONE ATTACK WILL BE REPLACED BY FORD UNDER ITS NORMAL WARRANTY TERMS.FORD EXPECTS TO SEND THE LETTER BY APPROXIMATELY MID-MAY 2009. BASED ON THE USE OF TPMS IN THE MAJORITY OF SUBJECT VEHICLES AND THE RELATIVELY LOW RATES OF REPAIRS ASSOCIATED WITH LEAKING VALVES AND RESULTANT TIRE DAMAGE, ODI BELIEVES THAT THE ACTIONS FORD HAS AGREED TO TAKE WILL PROVIDE EFFECTIVE AND EXPEDITIOUS RESOLUTION FOR VEHICLES THAT WERE BUILT DURING THE PERIOD WHEN VALVES WITH INADEQUATE RESISTANCE TO OZONE CRACKING WERE MOST LIKELY TO HAVE BEEN USED IN VEHICLE PRODUCTION.FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF THIS MATTER WOULD NOT BE AN EFFICIENT ALLOCATION OF AGENCY RESOURCES.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL CONTINUE TO
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