Detroit automaker Ford is planning to recall nearly 113,000 of its best-selling F-150 pickup trucks due to a defective rear axle hub bolt.
A National Highway of Traffic Safety (NHTSA) report filed on January 3 states that some vehicles may roll away due to the damaged axle hubs, raising the possibility of an accident. The trucks that were impacted were produced between 2021 and 2023. According to the automaker, these vehicles include a rear axle hub bolt, which connects the car to its back wheels and can “fatigue and break.”
Over the past two years, Ford has issued several smaller recalls for the F-150 models from 2021 and 2022. Over 870,000 F-150 pickup trucks from the 2021–2023 model years were recalled by the carmaker last year due to a faulty parking brake that could accidentally engage while driving. There have been 15 prior recalls for the 2021 F-150 and nine more for the 2022 model.
The NHTSA is investigating several Ford vehicles, including Ford Escapes from the 2020 and 2021 model years, for front doors that may open while the car is being driven. It is believed that the problem affects about 346,000 cars. Following a separate investigation that revealed some Escape vehicles had faulty engines that may fail and cause engine oil and vapor to leak, leading to under-hood fires, Ford recalled almost 87,000 Escape vehicles last year.
The automaker intends to notify customers of the affected vehicles later this month. However, the possible solution to the recall is still under development.
