Ford says rear suspension toe links may break in certain conditions.
Today, Ford issued a recall for 1.2 million models of the Explorer built from 2011 – 2017. According to the notice (recall 19S17), there is a rear suspension issue that may increase the risk of a crash. “Vehicles that are exposed to frequent full rear suspension articulation (jounce and rebound) may experience a fractured rear suspension toe link. A fracture of a rear toe link significantly diminishes steering control.”
This latest notice comes about when a customer hit a curb after their toe link broke. At this point, Ford says its not aware of any injuries related to the issue. The recall also affects 28,000 Explorers in Canada and one in Mexico, as well as 1.2 million in the United States.
Affected Ford Explorer models were built at the Chicago Assembly Plant between May 17, 2010 and January 25, 2017.
If you own this vintage of Explorer, Ford dealers will remove and replace both left and right toe links free of charge. They will also align the rear suspension after doing so. According to a CNN Business report, Ford will spend about $180 million on the recall campaign to sort out the Explorer toe link issue.
Owners can visit Ford’s recall website and plug in their VIN to see if their car is affected. Alternatively, Ford’s general phone number is (800) 392-3673, and the Explorer recall number is 19S17.
