Ford Recalls F-Series, Navigator and Expedition Models Over Embarrassing Issue

Earlier this year, Ford recalled more than 280,000 examples of the 2016-2018 F-150, along with 2016-2017 Navigator and Expedition models after it found that vehicles equipped with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine could suffer from a loss of braking power. As per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a faulty brake master cylinder could cause brake fluid to leak from the front wheel circuit into the brake booster.

Unfortunately, these models have been subjected to yet another recall - only this time, a whopping 652,996 examples are affected. Rather worryingly, the windshield wipers may break, causing them to fail. The NHTSA pins the blame on worn wiper arm spline tooling core inserts at the supplier, noting it has resulted in an "insufficient spline tooth height, which can cause the arm attachment to strip when used with certain wiper motors with higher torque."

It's not just the aforementioned vehicles that are affected. 381,797 examples of the larger F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 pickups are part of the recall, too. The idea of flailing wiper arms is, at first thought, comical. However, the chances of having an accident increase drastically if your wipers aren't operable. The recall report states that the wiper could become inoperable or worse, detach completely.

Thankfully, just 1% of the 652,996 are estimated to have this issue. Ford will notify owners by mail, instructing them to take their SUVs/trucks to a nearby dealer for inspection. The front windshield wiper arms will be replaced at no cost to the customer. While no accidents, injuries, or deaths have been reported in relation to the recall, Ford has said it's received over 750 complaints about defective wiper arms.

Elsewhere, the Blue Oval has been hit with recalls left, right, and center. Just two Escape Hybrids (and One Lincoln Corsair Hybrid) were afflicted by faulty high-voltage battery systems. While that doesn't sound worrying, the issue could cause the affected crossovers to suffer a sudden loss of power. This, of course, could be worrying when traveling uphill or through a busy intersection.

America's favorite muscle car hasn't been able to escape the recall plague, either. Mustangs produced between 2015 and 2017 were fitted with defective backup cameras. The federally mandated safety feature is a lifesaver and has undoubtedly prevented terrible accidents from happening The Blue Oval's sports car had the potential to suffer from a distorted feed or worse, no imagery at all.