Ford Motor Company, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), has announced a recall of select third-generation Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator units. Nearly 200,000 units of the said SUVs are at risk of a fire inside the vehicle due to a faulty component located near the passenger side.
According to the NHTSA document, 198,482 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator units built between January 16, 2014 and June 30, 2017 are affected. Over 163,000 units of that are Expeditions, while the remaining 35,000 are Navigators.
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The affected SUVs are at risk of an interior fire while the vehicle is on. Ford has not identified the cause of the problem but it is believed that the problem originates from 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 experiences blower motor symptoms (inoperative, intermittent, excessive noise, burning smell, etc.) prior to the availability of the remedy blower motor, the dealer will install a new blower motor service part of the current design. Once the redesigned, remedy part becomes available, the dealer will replace the blower motor assembly with the new design part," according to the recall document.
The specific VINs are not disclosed in the voluntary recall, so Ford said that it's best for owners to contact its toll-free line to confirm. They can also contact a local Ford or Lincoln dealer, which can then obtain specific information regarding the vehicles from the Ford On-line Automotive Service Information System (OASIS) database.
