Ford is issuing a flurry of recalls over safety issues.
They include 1.5 million of its popular F-150 pickup trucks with a transmission flaw that could cause the vehicles to downshift to first gear with no warning.
The pickups were among three recalls issued Wednesday by the automaker affecting several models.
Also impacted— by separate issues—were select Lincoln Continentals made between 2017 and 2019, and certain 2019 Ford Mustangs, Lincoln Nautiluses, and Lincoln Navigators.
The F-150 is the biggest of the recalls, by far. Ford is alerting owners of trucks made between 2011 and 2013 with six-speed automatic transmission shift issues of the potential issue. The sudden downshift in the gears could cause owners to lose control of their vehicle. To date, Ford is aware of five accidents related to the issue.
The problem with the Continentals is different, although no less dangerous. Ford says door latches on some 27,0000 vehicles might not engage, meaning they could open while driving. A buildup of silicon contamination is being blamed for the issue. So far, Ford says it has not heard of any accidents or injuries from this defect. Dealers will remove and replace the door latches.
The third recall, folding in the 2019 Ford Mustang, Lincoln Nautilus, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles, is the smallest, affecting just 4,200 vehicles. The company says the “instrument panel cluster assemblies”—digital dashboards—in those cars could be blank when the vehicle is started.
Last month, Ford recalled 953,000 vehicles, including 782,000 in the United States, as part of the Takata airbag inflator recall. In December 2018, it again recalled F-150 pickups, some 874,000 of them, due to fire concerns.