Ford recalls over 422,000 vehicles over windshield wiper issue

Ford is recalling more than 422,000 vehicles in the U.S. over a windshield wiper failure, federal regulators said on Tuesday.

The recall includes Lincoln Navigator and Ford Expedition SUVs, as well as some F-series trucks, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said. Specific vehicles that may be involved include the model year 2021-2023 Lincoln Navigator, 2021-2023 Ford Expedition, and the 2022-2023 Ford Super Duty.

A total of 422,613 vehicles are subject to the recall, while the share of vehicles with the defect is estimated to be 3% of the recalled vehicles.

Windshield wiper arms may operate erratically or may break, causing the wipers to fail, according to NHTSA.

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The safety agency noted that there may be a warning for drivers that the windshield wiper may fail, as drivers "may experience erratic wipe speed of the driver or passenger wiper arm."

"An improperly functioning or detached wiper arm may impair driver vision, increasing the risk of a crash," NHTSA's description of the defect said.

"The windshield wiper arm's latch retention plate may have been incorrectly staked at the supplier. The latch retention plate keeps the arm head properly seated to the wiper arm. Additionally, the engagement between the knurl and wiper arm may be reduced due to dimensional variability. Proper knurl-to-arm head teeth engagement ensures robust wiper arm operation," the agency said.

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Production improvements at the supplier in December 2022 addressed issues that led to the defective wiper arms, which is why the recall is limited to vehicles made in a specific timeframe.

NHTSA's recall report said that Ford isn't aware of any accidents or injuries related to the wiper issue.

NHTSA said that the notification to dealers was expected to occur on April 1, with the mailing of notices to interim owners expected to begin on April 13 and be completed by April 17.

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Owners of potentially affected vehicles were expected to be able to search VINs as of April 1.

The remedy for the issue is expected to include an inspection of windshield wipers and their potential replacement.

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Wiper arms that don't pass the inspection will be replaced. The replacement wiper arms that are used in this process will be made with correct staking of the latch retention plate, and wiper arm splines within specifications, according to NHTSA.

Reuters contributed to this report.