Ford CEO Jim Farley has highlighted quality improvements in his company’s new models, but for owners of older vehicles that consolation comes too late. A new recall in the USA involves over 420,000 vehicles, including 2021-2023 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs and 2022-2023 Super Duty pickups, due to a defect in the windshield wiper arms. According to NHTSA documentation, the arm splines can wear out, causing the wipers to suddenly stop working just when visibility is needed in rain or snow conditions.
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New major Ford recall
Ford’s investigation identified the cause as a combination of a faulty retainer plate and dimensional variability between the wiper motor splines and the arm itself, which could cause the arms to loosen on both the driver and passenger sides. The US automaker warns that owners may notice warning signs, such as irregular movements or abnormal wiper speed, before total failure occurs. Dealers will replace the defective parts free of charge, a standard procedure for recalls.
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But Farley predicts improvements
The recall comes at a time when the company is already in the spotlight for the high number of recall campaigns recorded last year, over 150, while claiming to have initiated improvements in production quality. As this case shows, however, it takes time for such progress to impact the existing vehicle fleet. If Farley’s predictions are correct, within the next two or three years we could see a significant decrease in similar problems and, of consequence, fewer recalls of this magnitude.
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