Ford will recall 112K pickup trucks over roll away concerns

Ford will be recalling more than 112,000 pickup trucks over roll away concerns, according to a Tuesday letter by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The letter, which is addressed to Ford’s assistant director, Tom Single, acknowledges the auto giant’s upcoming recall of its staple pickup truck, the F-150, model years 2021-2023 “equipped with the Trailer Tow Max Duty package and a 9.75-inch heavy duty axle with a 3/4 float axle design.” According to the letter, the “rear axle hub bolt may fatigue and break, which can result in damage to the axle hub splines.”

“Damaged axle hub splines can result in a vehicle roll away when the vehicle is in park without the parking brake applied, or cause a loss of drive power,” the letter reads. “Both of these conditions can increase the risk of a crash.”

The letter also states that owners of the models will be told that they should take their trucks to a dealer “for an interim repair if they experience symptoms related to rear axle bolt breakage” such as a “clicking or rattling noise.”

Notification letters to owners are “expected to be mailed” in late January.

Ford estimated it lost $1.7 billion in profits because of the recent six-week long United Auto Workers strike. The company’s Chief Financial Officer John Lawler said the lost profits were a result of “interruptions in production of high-margin trucks and SUVs,” causing sales to drop around 100,000 units lower than originally anticipated.