U.S. automakers continued their march to 42 million-plus vehicles recalled this year with actions by Chrysler and Ford adding nearly 700,000 vehicles to the rolls.
Chrysler Group announced a global recall of more than 566,000 Jeep and Dodge SUVs because their stability controls might not work while in heavy-duty and commercial Ram pickups because their diesel-fuel heaters might get too hot.
The stability control recall is for 184,186 of the 2014 Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs: 132,223 are in the U.S., 8,871 are in Canada, 4,742 are in Mexico and 38,350 are outside the North America.
Chrysler said it discovered a debris cover protecting a circuit board could inadvertently disrupt signals and disable the stability control.
The fuel heater recall involves vehicles equipped with the 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engine. It follows an investigation of two cases in which fuel-heater housings showed signs of overheating.
Affected are 2010-2014 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups, and 4500 and 5500 chassis cabs. An estimated 314,704 are in the U.S.; 59,432 are in Canada; 1,803 are in Mexico and 5,937 are outside North America.
Meanwhile, Ford is recalling 204,448 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossovers in in the U.S. and Canada for a corrosion issue that could lead to a possible fire.
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The reinforcement brackets can corrode at the point where the fuel tank is connected to the vehicle. When that happens, there can be a fuel leak, which could turn into a fire if the vehicle comes in contact with an ignition source. If this occurs, owners are likely to smell gasoline, notice a leak or the “check engine” light on the dashboard will illuminate.
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Ford said it is aware of one fire from the condition, and no accidents or injuries as a result.
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The action involves some 2007-2008 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles built in certain plants, Ford said. The recall covers Edges and MKXs built at Ford’s Oakville, Ontario, assembly plant from June 15, 2006 to Sept. 22, 2008. Of those, 186,024 vehicles are in the U.S. and 18,424 in Canada.
The vehicles affected were only sold or registered in 21 Midwestern and Eastern states: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Vendor suppliers are going to have a tough time providing replacement components in some cases such as the airbag deal.
Ford’s Oakville plant is in Ontario, not Michigan.
If this problem is found on Edge and MKX, why is it not present on Flex and MKT, also produced in the same plant?