Ford Motor Company has announced a recall of certain third-generation Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Approximately 200,000 of the aforementioned SUVs are at risk of catching fire inside due to a faulty component located near the passenger side.
The NHTSA document states that 198,482 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles manufactured between January 16, 2014 and June 30, 2017 are affected. Over 163,000 of those units are Expeditions, with the remaining 35,000 being Navigators.
While the vehicle is turned on, the affected SUVs are at risk of an interior fire. The cause of the problem has not been determined by Ford, but it is believed to originate inside the front blower motor, which is located on the passenger side behind the glovebox.
According to customers that experienced the issue, manifestations of the issue included an inoperative fan, as well as a burning smell and/or smoke coming from the instrument panel vents while the vehicles are running.
Affected Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator units will have their existing front blower motor assembly replaced with a revised service blower motor assembly, free of charge.
“If the customer has blower motor symptoms (inoperative, intermittent, excessive noise, burning odour, etc.) before the remedy blower motor is available, the dealer will install a new blower motor service part of the current design. (rentalry.com) The dealer will replace the blower motor assembly with the new design part once the redesigned remedy part is available “according to the recall notice
The specific VINs are not disclosed in the voluntary recall, so Ford recommends that owners call its toll-free number to confirm. They can also contact a local Ford or Lincoln dealer, who will obtain specific vehicle information from the Ford On-line Automotive Service Information System (OASIS) database.