Yahoo Finance Ford Recalls 660,000 Explorers Over Faulty Roof Rail Covers
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Ford is recalling more than 660,000 SUVs due to faulty roof rail covers that may detach while the vehicle is moving.
The recall impacts 2016 to 2019 Ford Explorers — 620,483 vehicles in the United States, 36,419 in Canada and 4,260 in Mexico.
Affected vehicles are configured with the base, police interceptor, XLT, or sport trim level with black, absolute black, or silver painted roof rail covers.
The roof rail covers and retention pins on about nine percent of 2016-2019 Ford Explorers are not connected properly, causing "reduced retention strength," according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
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Due to this, roof rail covers are susceptible to becoming detached from the SUV while it is being driven, which "can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash," the NHTSA wrote in a report.
So far, there have not been any injuries or accidents reported in relation to this issue, the NHTSA reported.
The NHTSA said that owners of potentially recalled vehicles will be notified to take their SUV to a Lincoln or Ford dealer to have the roof rail secured with four additional push pins.
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The service is free, and Ford will reimburse owners for costs incurred from any problems they may have already had associated with the roof rack.
Ford Explorer models from 2020 and beyond are designed with a different roof rack, eliminating the safety hazard.
