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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Journalist Vince Patton demonstrates its possible to play video games while driving his Tesla Model 3.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) it is investigating 580,000 Tesla vehicles sold since 2017 that allow those seated up front to play games on the infotainment touchscreen while the vehicle is in motion.
The formal safety investigation, which was announced Wednesday, covers 2017-2022 Tesla Model 3, S, X, and Y vehicles. NHTSA opened the investigation “based on reports that Tesla gameplay functionality, which is visible on the front center touchscreen from the driver’s seat, is enabled even when the vehicle is being driven.”
Tesla made the software more dangerous
The 2021 Tesla Model S gets an all-new interior, a yoke-style steering wheel and the updated software being investigated by NHTSA.
The feature, known as “Passenger Play,” increases the risk of a crash. Since December 2020, the feature can be used while driving. Prior to that, it could only be used when the vehicle was in Park. The agency said that it is evaluating aspects of the feature, including how frequently it’s used and when.
NHTSA is concerned about distracted driving, an increasing risk as automakers bring increased online connectivity to infotainment touchscreens. Distracted driving caused 3,142 deaths in 2019, all of them preventable.
While Passenger Play does have a warning stating the game is meant solely for passengers. Although it asks for confirmation that the player is a passenger and not the driver, there is nothing preventing the driver from playing while driving.
Other Tesla safety issues
Consumer Reports criticized the performance of Tesla’s latest version of Autopilot.
It’s not NHTSA’s only Tesla safety investigation, nor Tesla’s only safety issue.
In August, the agency opened a formal safety investigation of 765,000 Teslas equipped with its Autopilot driver-assistance system after 11 crashes involving parked emergency vehicles killed one person and injured 17. The inquiry covers 2014-2021 Models S, X, Y and 3.
In October, Tesla had to roll back full self-driving, or FSD, with Musk revealing that the company is “seeing some issues with 10.3, so rolling back to 10.2 temporarily.”
And in November, Tesla issued a recall for 11,704 vehicles sold in the U.S. since 2017. The recall covers Model S, X, 3 and Y vehicles and came about as a result of an over-the-air firmware update of the automaker’s “Full Self-Driving Beta,” its advanced driver assistance system.
The company identified a software communication error that could cause the forward-collision warning or automatic emergency brake system to falsely activate, possibly leading to a rear-end collision.
Other OEM infotainment issues
The new Mercedes-Benz EQS was recalled after it was found that its MBUX system allowed television and internet to be displayed while driving
Other automakers are far more concerned over distracted driving than Tesla. On November 29, Mercedes-Benz recalled 227 vehicles in the U.S. after the company discovered that its MBUX infotainment system allowed television and internet to be displayed while driving.
The recall affected 2021 Mercedes-Benz S580, 2022 EQS450, EQS580, and S500 models. Mercedes-Benz has already corrected the problem, and no deaths or injuries seem to have resulted from the problem.
Musk pays billions to satisfy tax bill
In other Tesla news, Reuters is reporting that Tesla CEO Elon Musk sold 10% of his own company stock, 13.5 million shares, 8.06 million of which were sold to pay taxes. The billionaire said he is paying more than $11 billion in taxes this year.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk slammed California over its tax policy.
“California used to be the land of opportunity and now it is … becoming more so the land of sort of overregulation, overlitigation, overtaxation,” Musk told Reuters, adding his combined federal and state tax rate tops 50 percent.
The company has submitted all the documentation required to get its factory approved near Berlin, Germany. Approval of Tesla’s newest manufacturing facility has been delayed by environmental concerns and red tape due to Tesla’s decision to add a battery factory to the site. That has delayed the approval process. It remains unclear when the new plant is expected to open.
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General Motors’ problems with the Chevrolet Bolt EV keep expanding, the company announcing late Friday it’s including an additional 73,000 vehicles in the recall.
GM added another 73,000 Chevy Bolt EVs to the recall list with the older models.
The new models include the 2019 cars not included in the first action as well as all of the 2020-2022 EVs. A defect in the battery can cause the vehicles to catch fire. The company already recalled more than 69,000 2017-2019 models for the problem — at a cost of about $800 million to replace the batteries.
Now, the additional 70K-plus electric vehicles basically account for all of the Bolts produced. The company said add $1 billion to the earlier total, bringing the overall cost to fix the problem to just about $1.8 billion.
“In rare circumstances, the batteries supplied to GM for these vehicles may have two manufacturing defects — a torn anode tab and folded separator — present in the same battery cell, which increases the risk of fire,” the company said in a statement released Friday.
“Out of an abundance of caution, GM will replace defective battery modules in Chevrolet Bolt EVs and EUVs with new modules, with an expected additional cost of approximately $1 billion.”
The 2022 Chevrolet Bolt is now part of the ongoing recall of the company’s electric vehicles.
Trying to resolve the problem
The company attempted to resolve the issue with the initial recall, believing a software tweak could settle it. However, two more vehicles caught fire — one after getting the update — forcing GM to issue a recall again to replace the batteries in the initial pool of affected vehicles.
As owners waited, it asked them to park their vehicles away from outside of their garages or other buildings after charging. It also recommended the vehicles not be charged past 90% capacity — all to no avail.
GM confirmed to CNBC there has been one fire in the new population of recalled vehicles. Including the previous confirmed fires from in the first round of recalled vehicles, a total of 10 of the EVs have caught fire.
One of the two recent Bolt fires included a vehicle that completed the software update.
The company continues to ask affected Bolt EV owners to set their vehicles to a 90% state of charge limitation using Hilltop Reserve mode (for 2017-2018 model years) or Target Charge Level (for 2019 model year) mode.
Earlier plan fails to solve the problem
GM said earlier the high-voltage batteries being recalled were produced in South Korean battery manufacturer LG Chem’s facility in Ochang, South Korea.
The company disclosed July 23, along with LG Chem, it identified the presence of two manufacturing defects in the same battery cell as the root cause of battery fires in certain Bolt EVs. GM described the defects as “rare” by GM.
LG Energy Solutions, a wholly owned LG Chem battery subsidiary, said in a statement to Reuters it “will actively cooperate to ensure that the recall measures are carried out smoothly.”
Last month, GM disclosed it was taking an $800 million charge to cover the cost of the recall of the battery electric vehicles.
