Ford recalls 2020-23 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, 2020-22 Corsair for defective camera

Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press
·2 min read
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Ford Motor Co. ended 2022 struggling to cut its high recall and warranty costs, and the automaker now has a major recall in the first month of the new year posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A total of 382,759 SUV owners in the U.S. are asked to seek repair of a defective rearview camera that has been tied to 17 non-injury accidents to date.

Vehicles affected:

  • 279,700 Ford Explorers: Model years 2020-23

  • 72,699 Aviators: Model years 2020-23

  • 30,360 Lincoln Corsairs: Model years 2020-22

Here's the problem:

The 360-degree cameras that malfunction display a blue screen that affects the driver's ability to see.

More than 462,000 total vehicles have been recalled globally, including the U.S. numbers, Ford spokeswoman Maria Buczkowski confirmed to the Detroit Free Press on Monday. The federal agency tracks only U.S. vehicles.

"Recalls are an important way for us to keep our customers safe and with every recall we want to make the experience of getting serviced easier on our customers," she said in a statement. "With this recall, customers will be able to take advantage of Mobile Service free of charge with participating dealers to get the software update configured on their vehicle at their convenience."

The 2020-23 Ford Explorer has been recalled for a defective camera linked to 17 non-injury accidents. Owners will be notified in late February 2023 to seek repair. This vehicle is a 2020 Explorer.
The 2020-23 Ford Explorer has been recalled for a defective camera linked to 17 non-injury accidents. Owners will be notified in late February 2023 to seek repair. This vehicle is a 2020 Explorer.

History of this recall:

This latest recall expands and replaces a 2021 recall of 228,000 vehicles. Automobiles previously updated under the old recall will need the new update. This latest process started in October 2021, when the regulatory agency within the U.S. Transportation Department contacted Ford in response to owner concerns and Ford launched a review.

"Throughout the time period from March 2022 to November 2022, Ford continued to monitor warranty claims attributed to this concern, and rates remained at a low level," the Ford chronology report says.

The company reported 2,115 warranty claims by Nov. 30, 2022, alleging problems with the camera. On Dec. 7, 2022, Ford's Critical Concern Review Group noticed an increase in warranty rates.

Letters from Ford are scheduled to go out to consumers on Feb. 20. Ford dealers will update image processing module software on affected vehicles.

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Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ford Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, Corsair recalled for defective camera