Ford is recalling more than 55,000 SUVs and trucks across the country due to a battery charge detection issue that could increase the risk of a crash.
A Transport Canada recall notice has been issued for Bronco Sport SUVs made between the years 2021 to 2024 and 2022 Maverick trucks.
The powertrain control module and body control module of impacted vehicles may be unable to detect a change in the charge level of the battery, the recall notice says. This can cause the engine to stall and be unable to restart after a driver does a start-stop. It could also cause the hazard lights not to work.
“A sudden loss of power to the wheels or a vehicle that doesn’t restart after a start-stop event could increase the risk of a crash,” the notice reads. “Additionally, hazard lamps that don’t work could make the vehicle less visible and increase the risk of a crash.”
Ford will contact owners of affected vehicles by letter. All owners are urged to take their vehicles to a dealership to update both the PCM and BCM software, the notice says.
The latest recall comes just a few weeks after Ford recalled 2,950 small Bronco Sport and Escape SUVs over gas leaks that may cause fires. That recall was an expansion of a 2022 notice in which 2021–2022 Bronco Sports and 2020, 2021, and 2022 Ford Escapes were recalled for the same reason. At that time there were over 53,000 vehicles impacted by the recall, Transport Canada said.
The latest recall comes nearly two months after 15 automotive companies issued safety recalls for thousands of vehicles, including a number of luxury sedans. There were also recalls by Kia at the beginning of April as well as by Toyota and Honda in February.
Chandra Philip contributed to this report.
