Continued Complaints Put Recall Repairs in Doubt
It’s not unusual for a consumer product manufacturer to recognize that one of its products is defective and issue a recall notice to either offer repairs or replace the defective product. Sometimes these defects become apparent through continued testing by the manufacturer, but they are often identified through consumer complaints. For defects in products as expensive and as safety-impactful as motor vehicles, the hope is that repairs following recalls will completely resolve the problem. However, that’s not always the case, as seen in current Ford tailgate recall problems.
Nature of Problem and Ford Tailgate Recall
Pickup trucks are highly profitable for auto manufacturers, so there’s a great deal of competition to produce the “toughest” pickup with the great number of “bells and whistles” features and options. Beginning in 2017, Ford began to offer a new feature on its F-250, F-350, and F-450 Super Duty pickup trucks in the form of an electronic tailgate latching system. Unfortunately, the wiring for the tailgate release switch wasn’t adequately protected from water intrusion, which could result in a short circuit causing the tailgate to release unintentionally and randomly. This obviously posed a significant safety hazard since it could potentially release unsecured cargo from the pickup truck’s bed onto anything being towed by the pickup and/or roadway.
Ford’s voluntary Ford tailgate recall was issued late in 2019, covering approximately 230,000 pickup trucks in the U.S. and 30,000 in Canada. Only pickups with the electrical switch were subject to recall — models with a standard manual latch were not impacted. This recall is tracked under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s recall campaign ID number 19V864000.
The Intended Fix and Its Results
The voluntary recall instructed owners to bring their Ford pickup trucks to dealerships for repairs in the form of new wiring and a new switch intended to eliminate the possibility of short-circuiting. Beginning late in 2019, Ford began to incorporate a new wiring system for its electronic tailgate latches that was expected to resolve the problem. During 2020, many of the recalled vehicles were brought to dealerships and received the offered repairs.
Unfortunately, the offered repairs may not adequately deal with the problems. Complaints began surfacing by early 2021 that pickup trucks that had received the recall repairs were still having their tailgates opening unexpectedly. Reporting from January of 2021 indicated that NHTSA had already received at least 11 reports of repaired vehicles having had this recurring problem.
Lawsuits Follow the Failed Ford Tailgate Recall
At least one major class action lawsuit has already been filed against Ford due to the defective tailgate and apparently ineffective repairs. This suit in Michigan alleges that the defect impacts the previously identified 2017 – 2019 model years but has continued through the 2021 model year vehicles. The suit alleges that the defective latching system can cause the tailgates to suddenly and spontaneously open, even while the vehicles are moving, and that as a result, the vehicles cannot properly function for their intended purpose as “heavy-duty” vehicles capable of carrying and towing large loads — this even while Ford has continued to market the vehicles upon their purported reliability for this intended purpose.
NHTSA says that it will continue to track any additional complaints related to later model years than those covered in the initial recall, as well as to those vehicles already recalled and “apparently” fixed.
This news video describes the scope of the initial recall:
Sacramento Auto Products Liability Lawyer
My name is Ed Smith, and I’m an Auto Products Liability lawyer in Sacramento. If you or a loved one has sustained an injury in a traffic accident involving a defective Ford pickup truck or other defective motor vehicles, please call our injury lawyers at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 to receive our free and friendly advice. You can also reach us through our online contact form.
You can learn more about us by reading our clients review and some of our past verdicts and settlements at:
Photo Attribution: Image by Ronald Plett from Pixabay
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