Ford F-150, Expedition, F-650 and F-750 are being recalled for troublesome transmission cables.
Ford Motor Company is recalling nearly 350,000 examples of the 2018 Ford F-150, Expedition, F-650 and F-750 over a concern that the transmission may not go into Park along with the shifter. As a result, these trucks might be in a moving gear when the driver thinks that it is Park, leading to an increased risk in a rollaway accident.
The Transmission Recall
This new recall affects 347,425 trucks and truck-based SUVs in North America, including the F-150, Expedition, F-650 and F750, all from the 2018 model year. The F-150s and Expeditions are all equipped with the new 10-speed automatic while the big chassis trucks have a 6-speed automatic, but all of them share the same issue.
In these trucks, a clip that holds the shift cable to the transmission may not have been installed correctly and over time, it could work its way loose. If it disconnects completely, the transmission could shift independently of the shifter, meaning that when the driver parks the vehicle, it might not actually be in Park. If the truck or SUV is in Drive, Neutral or Reverse, it could roll away on its own and hit another vehicle, a pet or a person.
The good news is that there have been no reports of this problem causing any accidents or injuries.
The Fix
The other good news is that this recall is relatively easy to address. Once the recalled vehicle has returned to the dealership, a technician will inspect the shift cable clip to make sure that it is installed properly. If it is not, it will be fixed and the shift cable will be adjusted as necessary. This work shouldn’t take long and it will be performed free of charge to the owners.
Included Models
We don’t have a breakdown by model, but we know that 292,909 of these Ford trucks and SUVs are in the United States, 51,742 are in Canada and 2,774 are in Mexico. The affected vehicles were built at the following plants in the date ranges listed below.
-2018 Ford F-150 trucks built at the Dearborn Assembly Plant between January 5, 2017 and February 16, 2018
-2018 Ford F-150 trucks built at the Kansas City Assembly Plant between January 25, 2017 and February 16, 2018
-2018 Ford Expedition SUVs built at the Kentucky Truck Plant between April 3, 2017 and January 30, 2018
-2018 Ford F-650 and F-750 trucks built at the Ohio Assembly Plant between April 25, 2017 and March 9, 2018.
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"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
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"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
