Toronto, Ontario — Drivers of some 2021 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigators aren’t being left with many options after the OEM announced its recall of nearly 3,000 Canadian vehicles for an engine fire risk that could spark even while the ignition is off.
Affecting an additional 39,000 vehicles south of the border, Ford revealed in official U.S. government documents on Thursday that the company has yet to identify what is causing fires to start in its vehicle’s engine compartments.
Ford has already received 16 reports of fires starting under the hood of vehicles in the U.S., 14 of which occurred in vehicles owned by rental companies. The reports claim that the fires usually start at the back of the engine compartment on the passenger side.
Of the 16 fires, 12 happened while the SUV engines were turned off, Ford said in a statement. The company says it has no reports of fires extending to any buildings.
Ford is not instructing owners to stop driving the SUVs, however, those who might not be able to follow the park outdoors instructions should contact their dealer or the company.
The company says it will begin notifying customers as soon as a list of owners and addresses is compiled.
“We are working around the clock to determine the root cause of this issue and subsequent remedy so that customers can continue to enjoy using their vehicles,” said general manager of Ford passenger vehicles Jeffrey Marentic, in a statement.
Based on findings from Ford’s initial investigation that launched on March 24, the defect appears to be limited to SUVs built from Dec. 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) full recall report can be found here.
