Ford to Recall Over 110,000 U.S. Vehicles Due to Wiper Failure and Pinion Shaft Defects, NHTSA Confirms
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The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued an official announcement on May 22, 2024, confirming that Ford Motor Co. will launch a nationwide safety recall covering more than 110,000 vehicles sold in the U.S. over two separate high-risk safety defects related to windshield wiper systems and steering pinion shafts. According to formal documents submitted by Ford to the regulator, the first defect affects approximately 78,000 units of 2020-2023 Ford Escape and 2021-2023 Bronco Sport SUVs, where the windshield wiper motor may suffer from internal circuit burnout under heavy load such as heavy rain, snow accumulation or high-speed driving, leading to sudden full or partial wiper failure without prior warning. When the failure occurs, drivers will lose clear forward visibility in adverse weather conditions, significantly increasing the risk of front-end collisions, especially on high-speed highways or rural roads with limited emergency pull-off space. Ford reported that it has received 239 customer complaints related to wiper failure as of mid-May 2024, with 12 minor crashes reported linked to the defect, though no fatal or severe injury cases have been recorded so far.
The second defect impacts around 32,000 units of 2022-2024 Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks, where the steering gear pinion shaft may develop micro-cracks after prolonged use on rough, uneven roads, and eventually fracture without warning, leading to complete loss of steering control, which poses a fatal risk to both drivers, passengers and other road users. Ford noted that it has received 17 warranty claims related to the pinion shaft defect, with no accidents or injuries reported to date.
Ford will begin sending formal recall notification letters to affected vehicle owners via first-class mail starting June 17, 2024. Owners will be instructed to bring their vehicles to authorized Ford dealerships, where technicians will inspect and replace the defective wiper motor assembly and steering pinion shaft free of charge, with all repairs expected to take no more than 2 hours per vehicle. NHTSA reminded all potentially affected owners to check their vehicle identification number (VIN) on the NHTSA SaferCar website or official Ford recall portal to confirm whether their vehicle is included in the recall campaign, and to complete the repair as soon as possible after receiving the notification to avoid potential safety hazards.
Featured Comments
As a 2022 Ford Escape owner, I’ve been having intermittent wiper issues for months and thought it was just my car’s isolated problem. I’m relieved this is finally being addressed via a formal recall, but I’m frustrated Ford didn’t act on the hundreds of complaints earlier before NHTSA launched its investigation. I’ll be checking my VIN first thing tomorrow to schedule the free repair.
This recall highlights how critical regular defect monitoring from NHTSA is for consumer safety. Both the wiper failure and pinion shaft defect pose obvious, life-threatening crash risks, especially for drivers in regions with frequent heavy rain or off-road users who take their Bronco Sports or F-150 Lightnings on rough terrain. I hope Ford also reimburses owners who already paid out of pocket to fix these issues before the recall was announced.
For Ford, this 110,000-unit recall is another hit to its quality reputation following a string of 12 separate recall events in the first four months of 2024 alone. The cost of replacing the defective components will likely run into $15 million or more, and it may push the brand to tighten its supply chain quality checks for the affordable SUV and electric pickup models that make up over 40% of its U.S. retail sales.
I’ve been considering buying a Bronco Sport for my daily commute, but this recall makes me hesitant. I know recalls are common across all auto brands, but two different high-risk defects covered in the same recall batch is a big red flag for gaps in Ford’s pre-launch quality testing process. I’ll probably wait 3 to 6 months to see how Ford handles this recall and if any related issues emerge before making a purchase decision.