Safety Recall 20S62 - Supplement #4 - Rear Toe Link Ball Joint Inspection (20S62)

SUBJECT

Safety Recall 20S62 - Supplement #4 

Certain 2013 through 2017 Model Year Explorer and Police Interceptor Utility Vehicles that are Registered or Sold in High Corrosion States/Provinces

Rear Toe Link Ball Joint Inspection

REF

Safety Recall 20S62 - Supplement #3 

Dated September 14, 2021

REF

NEW VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION/DELIVERY HOLD 

• Safety Recall 16S18 - Supplement #6  Dated February 18, 2022
• Safety Recall 17S11 - Supplement #7  Dated February 18, 2022
• Safety Recall 18S43 - Supplement #3  Dated February 18, 2022
• Safety Recall 19S17 - Supplement #3  Dated February 18, 2022
• Safety Recall 21S32  - Dated February 18, 2022

REASON FOR THIS SUPPLEMENT

An updated rear toe link design has been released. 

• Service Action - Completing any of the Explorer Toe Link Programs will close the field service action on all affected programs. 
• Attachment III Tech Instructions - The tech instructions have been updated with a new procedure. 
• Rental Vehicles - Rental vehicles are no longer approved for this program. 
• Claims Preparation and submission - Added notes indicating that the updated parts have to be used and that completing any of the Explorer Toe Link Programs will close the field service action on all affected programs. 
• Labor Allowances - Updated labor operations to reflect the new service procedure. 
• Parts Requirements - Updated the parts required. 

AFFECTED VEHICLES

Affected vehicles are identified in OASIS and FSA VIN Lists.

REASON FOR THIS SAFETY RECALL

Some of the affected vehicles, sold or operated in certain traditional corrosion areas, have experienced fracture of the outboard section of the rear suspension toe link after completion of a prior recall repair. Preliminary assessment of field data indicates that the toe link ball joint (built into the knuckle) may be susceptible to seizing in certain high corrosion areas. A seized toe link ball joint can increase bending stresses in the toe link outboard of the turnbuckle. Rear toe link fracture while driving could result in unusual vehicle handling characteristics, or difficulty controlling the vehicle and may increase the risk of a crash.

SERVICE ACTION

Dealers are to replace both rear suspension toe links, check alignment, and adjust rear toe. This service must be performed on all affected vehicles at no charge to the vehicle owner. 

OWNER NOTIFICATION MAILING SCHEDULE

Owners of affected vehicles were notified in two separate mailings. The first mailing occurred on November 30, 2020. Dealers should repair any affected vehicles that arrive at their dealerships, whether or not the customer has received a letter.

Owners of vehicles affected by the program expansion in Canada received a combined 20S62/21S32 Owner Letter the week of September 13, 2021.

PLEASE NOTE: 

Federal law requires dealers to complete this recall service before a new vehicle is delivered to the buyer or lessee. Violation of this requirement by a dealer could result in a civil penalty of up to $21,000 per vehicle. Correct all vehicles in your new vehicle inventory before delivery. 

ATTACHMENTS

1. Attachment I: Administrative Information 
2. Attachment II: Labor Allowances and Parts Ordering Information 
3. Attachment III: Technical Information 
4. Attachment IV: Use of Aftermarket Ball Joints/Bushings 
5. Owner Notification Letters
6. Recall Reimbursement Plan

QUESTIONS & ASSISTANCE

For questions and assistance, contact the Special Service Support Center (SSSC) via the SSSC Web Contact Site. The SSSC Web Contact Site can be accessed through the Professional Technician Society (PTS) website using the SSSC link listed at the bottom of the OASIS VIN report screen or listed under the SSSC tab.

Sincerely,

David J. Johnson

OASIS ACTIVATION

OASIS was activated on November 20, 2020.

OASIS was activated on September 14, 2021 for the Canada Expansion.

FSA VIN LISTS ACTIVATION

FSA VIN Lists have been available through https://web.fsavinlists.dealerconnection.com  since November 20, 2020. Owner names and addresses have been available since December 8, 2020.

SOLD VEHICLES

• Ford has not issued instructions to stop selling/delivering or driving used vehicles under this safety recall. Owners should contact their dealer for an appointment to have their vehicles remedied as soon as practicable. Owners can continue to safely drive their vehicles.
• Immediately contact any of your affected customers whose vehicles are not on your VIN list but are identified in OASIS. Give the customer a copy of the Owner Notification Letter (when available) and schedule a service date.
• Correct other affected vehicles identified in OASIS which are brought to your dealership.
• Dealers are to prioritize repairs of customer vehicles over repairs of new and used vehicle inventory.

STOCK VEHICLES

• Correct all affected units in your new vehicle inventory before delivery.
• Use OASIS to identify any affected vehicles in your used vehicle inventory.

DEALER-OPERATED RENTAL VEHICLES

The Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act law effective June 2016 prohibits a rental company from selling, renting or leasing vehicles subject to a safety or compliance recall. Please consult your legal counsel for legal advice.

TITLE BRANDED/SALVAGED VEHICLES

Affected title branded and salvaged vehicles are eligible for this recall.

OWNER REFUNDS

• This safety recall must still be performed, even if the owner has paid for a previous repair. Claiming a refund will not close the recall on the vehicle. 
• Ford Motor Company is offering a refund for owner-paid repairs covered by this recall if the repair was performed prior to the date indicated in the reimbursement plan, which is posted with this bulletin. Owners are directed to seek reimbursement through authorized dealers or, at their option, directly through Ford Motor Company at P.O. Box 6251, Dearborn, MI 481216251.
• Dealers are also pre-approved to refund owner-paid emergency  repairs that were performed away from an authorized servicing dealer after the end date specified in the reimbursement plan. Non-covered repairs, or those judged by Ford to be excessive, will not be reimbursed.
• Refunds will only be provided for the cost associated with rear suspension toe link replacement due to fracture or rear wheel knuckle replacement due to a seized toe link ball joint.

RENTAL VEHICLES

Rental vehicles are not approved for this program. 

ADDITIONAL REPAIR (LABOR TIME AND/OR PARTS)

Additional repairs identified as necessary to complete the FSA should be managed as follows:

• For related damage and access time requirements, refer to the Warranty and Policy Manual/Section 6 - Ford & Lincoln Program Policies/General Information & Special Circumstances for FSA's/Related Damage.
• For vehicles within new vehicle bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage, no SSSC approval is required, although related damage must be on a separate repair line with the "Related Damage" radio button checked.
  • Ford vehicles - 3 years or 36,000 miles
• For vehicles outside new vehicle bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage, submit an Approval Request to the SSSC Web Contact Site prior to completing the repair.

CLAIMS PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION

• Claim Entry:  Enter claims using Dealer Management System (DMS) or One Warranty Solution (OWS) online.
  • When entering claims, select claim type 31: Field Service Action. The FSA number 20S62 is the sub code.
  • For additional claims preparation and submission information, refer to the Recall and Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP) Repairs in the OWS User Guide.
• Related Damage/Additional labor and/or parts:  Must be claimed as Related Damage on a separate repair line from the FSA with same claim type and sub code as described in Claim Entry above.
  IMPORTANT: Click the Related Damage Indicator radio button.
• Refunds:  Submit refunds on a separate repair line.
  • Program Code: 20S62
  • Misc. Expense: ADMIN
  • Misc. Expense: REFUND
  • Misc. Expense: 0.2 Hrs.
  • Multiple refunds should be submitted on one repair line and the invoice details for each repair should be detailed in the comments section of the claim.

LABOR ALLOWANCES

PARTS REQUIREMENTS/ORDERING INFORMATION

DEALER PRICE

For latest prices, refer to DOES II.

PARTS RETENTION, RETURN, & SCRAPPING

Follow the provisions of the Warranty and Policy Manual, Section 1 - WARRANTY PARTS RETENTION AND RETURN POLICIES. If a replaced part receives a scrap disposition, the part must be scrapped in accordance with all applicable local, state and federal environmental protection and hazardous material regulations. Federal law prohibits selling motor vehicle parts or components that are under safety, compliance, or emissions recall.

EXCESS STOCK RETURN

Excess stock returned for credit must have been purchased from Ford Customer Service Division in accordance with Policy Procedure Bulletin 4000.

REPLACED FSA PARTS INSPECTION AND SIGN OFF

Effective March 1st 2021 all parts replaced as part of an FSA repair with a repair order open date of March 1st 2021 or later must be inspected and signed off on the repair order by a member of your dealers fixed operations management team or an employee the task has been delegated to. If the task is to be delegated to a non-management employee, the employee needs to be someone other than the technician who completed the repair and needs to understand the importance of completing this task consistently and accurately.

• All parts replaced as part of an FSA repair should be returned to the parts department following the Warranty Parts Retention and Return Policies.
• Inspect the replaced parts to verify the FSA repair was completed.
• If the FSA repair is found to be complete, the designated employee signs the repair order line or parts return stamp area (electronic or hand signed) for the FSA repair indicating the parts were inspected and validated to have been replaced.
• After the parts have been inspected, they should be handled based on the guidance in the parts status report in the Online Warranty System (Hold, Return, CORE, Scrap, etc.).
• This process is subject to review during warranty audits for FSA repairs with a repair order open date of March 1st 2021 or later. Any eligible FSA claims requiring parts replacement, found not to have been inspected and signed off during a warranty audit will be subject to chargeback and consideration for enrollment into the Dealer Incomplete Recall Repair Process.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

1. Position the vehicle on an alignment rack. Please follow the WSM procedures in Section 100-02. 
2. Raise the rear of the vehicle by lifting the lower coil spring leaf. 
3. Remove both rear tires. Please follow the WSM procedures in Section 204-04A.
4. Remove and discard both rear toe links. See Figure 1. 
   1. Remove and discard the toe link-to-wheel knuckle bolts and nuts. 
   2. Remove and discard the toe link-to-subframe bolt and remove the toe links. 
      NOTE: Do not torque the fasteners at this time.
5. Install the new toe links by reversing the removal procedure. See Figure 1. 
   • Only hand tighten the inboard fastener and snug the outboard retainer at this time. 
6. Install both rear tires. Please follow the WSM procedures in Section 204-04A.
7. Lower the vehicle onto the alignment rack with the rear adjustment rack slip plates loose. 
8. Tighten the inboard rear toe link bolts on both sides. 
   • Torque: 111 lb.ft (150 Nm)
9. Set the tire pressure and perform an alignment and tighten the outboard bolt and nut on both sides. This completes the recall. 
   • Torque: 111 lb.ft (150 Nm) 
   NOTE: the frame side of the new toe link has a slot that is used for the alignment process. See Figure 2.

   IMPORTANT NOTE: Federal law prohibits selling motor vehicle parts or components that are under safety, compliance, or emissions recall. Unless a part is requested to be returned to Ford, all parts replaced under this FSA must be scrapped in accordance with all applicable local, state and federal environmental protection and hazardous material regulations. Refer to the Parts Retention, Return, & Scrapping section of the FSA dealer bulletin for further information. 

Recommended Repair

If 2011-2019 Ford Explorers or PIU vehicles require service of the rear wheel knuckle and/or rear wheel knuckle bushings, the recommended repair is to replace the affected rear wheel knuckle (5B758/9) as an assembly only  . Refer to WSM, Section 204-02, and the Ford Service Parts Catalog as needed.

Issue

Ford has received reports of toe link failures on customer vehicles after the installation of non-OEM cross-axial ball joints (aka bushings) in the rear wheel knuckle. Installation of aftermarket bushings rather than replacement of the rear wheel knuckle assembly is not recommended, as this may limit the movement of the joint and cause stress on the toe link. In the reports that Ford received, the toe links failed shortly after installation of an aftermarket bushing installed by the dealership.

Dealerships may have serviced rear wheel knuckles, including use of aftermarket bushings, as part of preventive maintenance. These inspections and maintenance services sometimes took place as a separate customer paid repair when the vehicle was being serviced for the following FSAs: 19S17, 17G01, 16S18. Because these repairs would occur as a customer paid repair directly to the dealership and not submitted to Ford for reimbursement, Ford does not have a record of how many of these repairs may have occurred.

Dealership Actions

If your dealership performed repairs on the rear suspension of 2011-2019 Ford Explorers or PIU vehicles and installed aftermarket bushing(s) in the rear wheel knuckle instead of replacing the complete rear wheel knuckle assembly (at any time), you should identify all of the vehicles repaired with the aftermarket bushing(s), contact the customer, and replace the rear wheel knuckle as an assembly. Failure to do this may result in a toe link fracture. A fractured rear toe link will cause a sudden change in vehicle handling and increase the risk of a crash.