Ford Starts New Year As It Ended 2023 With A Safety Recall To Repair Rear Axles

It looks like 2024 is starting right where 2023 ended for Ford Motor Co. Last year, the automaker led the industry in voluntary safety recalls for the third year in a row.

New Year Starts With Recall

Following that industry-leading effort, the Blue Oval is starting 2024 off just as it finished up 2023 with a recall. It may seem funny that an automaker could welcome a recall, but it isn’t funny when you think about it.

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Note that Ford led the industry in voluntary safety recalls. Think about that for a moment. The Blue Oval led the auto industry in voluntary safety recalls. Voluntary safety recalls are those that the automaker calls for itself. They let the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) know about each recall and let the owners of the affected vehicles know. It is great for public relations as the owners of its products know that the automaker is standing behind its products.

For 2o24, Ford is recalling 112,965 2019 to 2021 F-150 pickups to repair faulty rear axles. The bad axles can increase the risk of a crash. The automaker noted that the problem might result in “damaged axle-hub splines, which can cause” the impacted pickups to roll if the parking brake isn’t applied.

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In describing the issue. Car and Driver (CD) told drivers of the affected pickups to get their vehicles repaired if they notice “symptoms such as a clicking or rattling noise.”

Affected Models Feature Tow Package

 CD noted that the “affected F-150models feature the Trailer Tow Max Duty package and a heavy-duty rear axle with a hub bolt that may break. Ford told CD that the problem can damage the “axle-hub splines, which can cause an accident because the trucks can roll away even when they are in Park unless the parking brake is applied.”

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According to CD, Ford is still working on fixing the issue. The automaker expects to be able to notify owners of the affected pickups by Jan. 29, 2024. Until owners receive their notification letters, if they notice signs of the bolts breaking, they should take their pickups to their dealers so that the vehicles can be checked out. Owners should watch for new clicking or rattling noises indicating the rear axle bolts are breaking.

For more information, owners can contact Ford customer service at 866-436-7332. Ford’s identification number for this issue is 23S65. Owners can also contact the NHTSA through its auto safety hotline or website at www.nhtsa.gov.

Ford’s recall follows a major recall of 1 million Toyota vehicles.

Ford Motor Photo

Marc Stern has been an automotive writer since 1971. His automotive articles have appeared in venues including Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, and others. You can follow Marc on Twitter or Facebook.