Federal safety officials are looking into whether a recall by Ford in 2016 should be expanded to repair more than a million additional vehicles, the Associated Press
The auto manufacturer in 2016 recalled 153,000 vehicles due to a glitch that meant their automatic transmissions might unexpectedly shift into first gear. The recall involved certain F-150 pickups, Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs, and Ford Mustang sports cars from the 2011 and 2012 model years.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in late December said it is probing whether Ford should have included up to 1.4 million F-150s, Navigators and Expeditions from the 2011 and 2012 model years, along with 2013 models, the wire service said.
The federal agency’s Office of Defects Investigation has received 123 reports related to the transmission problem since the 2016 recall, with some motorists complaining that the recall repair did not fix the trouble. The ODI has received two reports of crashes and no reports of injuries related to the downshift.
Last month, Ford recalled more than 200,000 2016 F-150 and Explorers built between Jan. 22, 2016, and April 19, 2016, because of loose front power seats.