Ford issued a recall for some 875,000 F-150 and Super Duty trucks where a potential short in the engine block heater cable could cause a fire. This involves 2015-19 F-150 and 2017-19 Super Duty pickups, with just over 410,000 in the United States and federal territories and nearly 464,000 in Canada.
The problem, Ford explained, is that water and contaminants can get into the block heater cable's connector and cause corrosion and damage over time. When the vehicle is parked and the block heater is plugged in, this corroded cable could cause a short, render the block heater inoperable, and/or trip circuit breakers or GFCI-equipped outlets.
Ford said it is aware of corroded engine block heater cable connectors in these trucks causing three fires, with minor property damage reported in one incident. Ford is unaware of any related accidents or injuries. The reference number for this recall is 18S45.
Vehicles affected:
—2015-19 F-150 pickups built at Ford's Dearborn Truck Plant from March 18, 2014 to Nov. 17, 2018 and Kansas City Assembly Plant from Aug. 21, 2014 to Nov. 17, 2018.
—2017-19 Super Duty trucks built at Ford's Ohio Assembly Plant from Feb. 5, 2016 to Nov. 17, 2018 and Kentucky Truck Plant from Oct. 8, 2015 to Nov. 17, 2018.
For this recall, dealers will inspect the engine block heater cable and replace it if it is damaged or corroded. If there are no signs of damage or corrosion, dealers will apply dielectric grease to the splice connector and reconnect it.
In addition, Ford recently issued a very narrow recall for four 2019 Ford Super Duty trucks over a transmission casing "that may be missing material around the casting where the park pawl engages the transmission." These several trucks were built at Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant from Aug. 21 to 23 last year.
The problem could allow the vehicle to move while in park. Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission casing as necessary for affected trucks at no cost.
The company noted it is not aware of any unintended vehicle movement, accidents, or injuries resulting from this rare transmission production problem. The Ford reference number for this recall is 18S36.
