Ford announced it’s recalling almost 185,000 F-150 full-size pickups. The 2021 and 2022 model-year trucks are experiencing driveshaft problems that could cause it to fracture.
Ford is recalling nearly 185,000 F-150 pickups from the 2021 and 2022 model years.
The truck’s underbody thermal/acoustic insulators can loosen over time. If they come in contact with the truck’s aluminum driveshaft, they can cause scoring or marks. If this goes on long enough, the heat generated each time can eventually crack the driveshaft.
Potential results if the issue is not repaired
“A fractured driveshaft may result in loss of motive power,” the report states, “unintended vehicle movement while the vehicle is in park if the parking brake is not applied, and may result in secondary damage to surrounding components.”
Additionally, once fractured, the driveshaft could break loose and touch the ground, causing the driver to lose control of the pickup, potentially resulting in a crash. The company is unaware of any accidents or injuries caused by the problem.
Some Ford F-150 pickups are facing issues with the aluminum driveshaft on the truck.
Owners are advised to look for a “loose underbody insulator.” They should also listen for a rattling, clicking or clunking noise due to the loose insulator coming in contact with the driveshaft. The scoring or marking on the driveshaft described earlier may also be visible.
Next steps
Ford’s taken steps to resolve the problem during production by swapping the underbody thermal acoustic insulator for an under-carpet thermal patch at the two plants — Dearborn (MI) Truck and Kansas City (KS) Assembly — already.
Dealers received the notice Tuesday, and owners will begin receiving notices in the mail shortly. They will be instructed to make an appointment with their dealer to have “positive attachment features adde to the underbody insulators.”
They’ll also inspect the driveshaft for scoring or marks that may have already occurred. This will be done at no expense to the truck owner.
As of Dec. 7, Ford received 27 reports of fractured aluminum driveshafts possibly related to sagging underbody insulators on the F-150s, the automaker said in an Automotive News report.
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Charging is key to the transition to electric vehicles and while more chargers are one the way, Ford Motor Co. is launching a new program to ensure the juice needed to run an EV does not contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases.
Ford’s program can be used by current owners of the Mustang Mach-E, E-Transit and Escape PHEV.
With help of one auto industry’s traditional foes, the California Air Resource Board, Ford is beginning what it describes as a “sustainable charging program,” which allows owners of plug-in electric vehicles in California to opt for only carbon-neutral charging at home.
“Ford’s electric vehicle customers are beginning to realize all the possibilities associated with their vehicles and sustainable energy management,” said Matt Stover, director of charging and energy services, Ford Motor Co.
“By working with regulators, utilities and customers for home integration services, we’re enabling EV drivers to lower their carbon footprints, potentially save money and help protect the grid, all through their smartphones.”
California-based owners of all current Ford all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, including the Mustang Mach-E, the E-Transit and the Escape PHEV, plus the F-150 Lightning coming in 2022, are eligible for the program.
Only green energy wanted
The idea is to only use electricity made with renewable sources rather than oil, gas or coal, reducing the carbon footprint of the energy used to power the vehicles.
Ford plans to participate in CARB’s “Low Carbon Fuel Standard,” which will offer customers a new way to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change by matching the use of electricity used to charge plug-in electric vehicles at home with 100% local renewable energy, the automaker said.
CARB, which has control of air quality standards throughout California, has long warred with automakers about emissions. Significant health concerns, created by automotive-related air pollution in Southern California, have given CARB enormous influence over emission standards not only across California but also across the United States.
Once enrolled, the FordPass app automatically tracks the amount of electricity used while charging at home. Ford generates, or buys, an equivalent amount of California-sourced Renewable Energy Certificates, an EPA-recognized program that records the generation and usage of green energy.
Ford then sends evidence of the matching amounts to CARB, ensuring that all home plug-in charging activity is matched with zero-carbon electricity.
Ford is investing more than $30 billion in electric vehicles and batteries through 2025. The push supports the company’s longer-term goal of creating a sustainable American manufacturing ecosystem, and to accelerate its progress towards achieving carbon neutrality no later than 2050. Overall, Ford expects 40% to 50% of its global vehicle volume to be fully electric by 2030.
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Most automakers posting May sales results enjoyed massive upticks compared to their year-ago results — except Ford Motor Co.
The Bronco Sport helped the company’s portfolio of SUVs keep its sales numbers positive in May.
Ford saw sales rise just 4.1% as inventories on its highly profitable trucks were very low, while Hyundai, Honda and others revealed triple-digit jumps for some vehicles and double-digit overall increases. No automaker has seemingly been hurt by the ongoing semiconductor shortage like Ford.
In fact, its retail sales results — excluding its fleet sales — were down 11.2% in May, a reflection of just how much Ford dealers are struggling to meet demand for the brand’s F-Series pickups. To be fair, CEO Jim Farley has repeatedly warned the second quarter would be the company’s worst due to the chip issue.
“Ford sales were up 4.1% on tight inventories, while year-to-date sales increased 11.3 percent,” said Andrew Frick, vice president, Ford Sales U.S. and Canada, in a statement. “Ford and its dealers are working harder than ever to match the right mix of inventory to best meet the needs of our customers at the local level.
“We have been receiving a massive number of reservations for our all-electric F-150 Lightning over the last two weeks — totaling over 70,000 trucks. Ford brand SUVs had their best May sales in 18 years, while Lincoln SUVs posted a new May record.”
SUVs carrying the company
Lincoln’s SUV, including the all-new Corsair, posted their best May since 2003.
The travails of truck inventories are well known. Fortunately, the company’s SUVs picked up the sales slack in May showing a 48.6% increase in total sales compared to last May and 27.9% on the retail level — again hurt by the chip problem.
Despite that difference, it was the company’s best May sales result for SUVs at the retail level since 2003. Ford brand SUVs were up 51.8% over a year ago on new product introductions of Bronco Sport and Mustang Mach-E, along with the continued momentum of Escape, Explorer and Expedition.
The Bronco Sport and Escape performed well in the highly competitive small SUV segment, officials noted. Ford’s May retail share is up almost 4 full percentage points in the small SUV segment, with sales of both Bronco Sport and Escape expanding their sales within two very different customer groups. Escape sales were up 51.4%, while the majority of Bronco Sport customers are coming from outside the Ford brand.
Lincoln SUVs did the Ford offerings one better, producing a record result last month. Lincoln SUV sales were up across the entire lineup in May with a total of 7,871 SUVs sold – up 24.3 percent. Perhaps just as impressively, the entire brand was up 5% and is up 15.3% for the year thus far. Those numbers are impacted by the massive drop in MKZ and Continental sales, which are no longer produced and dealers are trying to clear out remaining inventory.
The Mustang Mach-E is part of the reason why the company’s electrified vehicle sales were up 184% last month.
EVs going crazy
A Mustang Mach-E sits for just 10 days once it gets to a dealer and many are selling upon arrival. Mach-E sales totaled 1,945 in May, and 10,510 year-to-date.
The Mustang Mach-E is performing so well, the company is building more Mach-E’s than the original gas-powered pony car, according to Bloomberg. Ford’s plant in Mexico has produced 27,816 electric Mustang Mach-E models in 2021 while the Flat Rock, Michigan facility building the Mustang has churned out 26,089 vehicles, according to production data the automaker released Thursday.
Erich Merkle, Ford’s sales analyst, told Bloomberg that Mustang production in Flat Rock has been hampered by the chip shortage. However, Farley told a group of journalists after the introduction of the F-150 Lightning the Mach-E is outperforming expectations and its completely sold out of its initial production run.
Strong Mach-E sales doesn’t mean that the Mustang has suffered. The all-new Mustang Mach 1 helped lift performance Mustang sales to more than 13% of retail sales, compared to 10% last year, the news agency noted.
Overall, Ford electrified vehicle sales skyrocketed 184% last month, some of which was driven by the aforementioned Mach-E, but it wasn’t alone, officials noted. F-150 PowerBoost totaled 2,852 for the month, Escape electrified sales totaled 3,617 – up 125% over last year. Explorer Hybrid sales also had a big increase of 132% compared with a year ago on sales of 1,156 SUVs. The future looks bright on that front as well. The previously mentioned F-150 Lightning secured more than 70,000 deposits since its debut about two weeks ago.
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