Ford Motor Company has been plagued by door latch issues on some of it's most popular cars, trucks, and vans for the past 18 months. This is a problem that has not gone away, promoting the manufacturer to recall 1.5 million vehicles to repair door latches that can allow the doors to open while the vehicle is moving.
So far, Ford says that one accident and three injuries have resulted from this problem.
Initially, 830, 000 vehicles were recalled for repairs and many of the same models are a part of this expanded recall. Vehicles that can experience this problem include the 2013 to 2015 Ford C-Max and Ford Escape, 2012 to 2015 Ford Focus, 2015 Ford Mustang and Lincoln MKC, and 2014 to 2016 Ford Transit Connect.
"In the affected vehicles, the pawl spring tab in the side door latch could break," Ford Motor Company said in a statement. "A door latch with a fractured pawl spring tab typically results in a ‘door-will-not-close’ condition. A door that opens while driving increases the risk of injury."
In total, the automaker says that 2.4 million vehicles are affected, 2 million of which are located in the United States. Another 233,000 are in Canada and 61,300 are in Mexico. A filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission reports that the recall will cost the Blue Oval $640 million
Owners of the affected vehicles can take their car to their local Ford dealer and the side door latches will be replaced free of charge. Those who want to know if their vehicle is affected can visit Ford.com, click on 'Safety Recalls' under 'Ownership' at the bottom of the page, and enter their Vehicle Identification Number.
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