Ford F-150: Fourth recall issued for troubled vehicle

Ford Australia has issued another recall for the recently launched F-150 pickup, affecting all vehicles sold locally.

“The courtesy lamps fitted in the vehicles do not comply with the requirements set out in the Australian Design Rules (ADR),” the company says in its recall notice.

“The affected vehicles do not comply with ADR 13/00 – Installation of Lighting and Light Signalling Devices.”

This follows a recall from March, where a total of 2020 F-150s were recalled for being noncompliant with ADR 13/00. However, this recall affected only long-wheelbase versions.

• A total of 4630 vehicles are affected
• The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) list is attached here
• The original recall notice is attached here

Government documents show the F-150 has been approved for sale once again, and is compliant with ADR 13/00.

Ford Australia confirmed earlier this month it had halted customer deliveries of the F-150.

“Ford Australia has placed a temporary hold on the sale and delivery of all re-manufactured F-150s, as we have identified that specifications of certain lighting features do not conform to Australian regulatory requirements,” a Ford Australia spokesman told CarExpert.

“Affected vehicles cannot be delivered to customers until appropriate rectification work is complete.”

As partial compensation to Australian F-150 owners, Ford is offering complimentary servicing for the first five years or 75,000km (whichever comes first) of ownership to those who had received or signed contracts for their pickups by May 6, 2024.

This replaces its existing four-year/60,000km service program which saw each visit priced at $429.

This latest recall is the fourth since the F-150’s local rollout began in December 2023.

In addition to the previous courtesy light recall, in January, the F-150 was hit with a recall for a steering fault, with owners told to stop driving immediately due to a risk of the steering rack separating from the intermediate shaft.

A second recall came in the following weeks, for a clock spring defect which could lead to the driver’s airbag not functioning in a crash.

Unlike its North American pickup rivals such as the Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado, the F-150 is converted from left- to right-hand drive by Ford’s Thai-based partner RMA Automotive, not Walkinshaw Automotive Group.

If you own an affected vehicle, you’ll need to make an appointment with a Ford dealership to have the work carried out, free of charge.

If you have any further questions, you can contact the Ford Customer Relationship Centre on 13 36 73.