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Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is recalling 2023 F-150 and Ford SD F250, F350, F450, F550, and F600 vehicles. The steering wheel clock spring from supplier BCS Automotive Interface Solutions may have an bad weld, causing a loss of electrical connection to the driver’s frontal air bag. The customer may notice loss of illumination and function of switches on the steering wheel, such as radio controls, inoperative horn and an airbag warning light.
“The Steering Column Control Module (SCCM) in affected vehicles may contain a clock spring assembly with an insufficient weld between the bus bar and the ribbon cable. The ribbon cable provides connectivity to the driver airbag. An insufficient weld can lead to a disconnection of ribbon cable circuits, resulting in a loss of electrical connection to the driver’s front airbag. As a consequence the airbag warning light will illuminate and the driver airbag will not deploy,” Ford said in the required safety defect recall filing to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that has been made public on New Year’s day.
During the sub-supplier’s manufacturing process, clock spring bus bars may have been washed in isopropyl alcohol contaminated with glycerin, which can result in a bad weld between the bus bar and the ribbon cable of the clock spring assembly.
Dealers will inspect and replace the clock spring as necessary, free of charge as required by Federal law. Interim owner notifications explaining the safety risk are scheduled to be mailed 6January 2024. A second notice will be sent once so-called remedy parts become available months from now sometime during Q2 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov about NHTSA 23V847.
Chronology of Safety Defect
- On 8 November 2023, the Tier 1 supplier, BCS Automotive Interface Solutions (“BCS”), notified Ford that it would be filing an equipment recall report with NHTSA related to airbag clock springs supplied to BCS by a sub-supplier, American Furukawa. BCS told Ford that certain clock spring assemblies used in Steering Column Control Modules (SCCM) supplied to Ford by BCS may have been contaminated in the sub-supplier’s manufacturing process.
- On 9 November 2023, the issue pertaining to contaminated clock springs was brought to Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group (CCRG) for review and an investigation was opened. Concurrent with the initiation of the CCRG investigation, Ford started working with BCS to analyze production and shipping records provided by BCS to understand which Ford assembly facilities and vehicle lines were supplied with SCCMs that may contain the subject clock springs.
- On 14 November 2023, BCS filed an equipment recall report with NHTSA, which was provided by NHTSA to Ford on 4 December 2023.
- Through November, Ford continued to work with BCS to review supplier production and shipping records, as well as supplier technical reports. Using serial numbers supplied by BCS, Ford traced the SCCMs provided by BCS to the 2023 model year F-150 and Super Duty vehicles in which they were installed.
Ford searched warranty, customer and field reports as well as connected vehicle data to identify reports that may be related to open circuits caused by insufficient welding of the bus bar and ribbon cable of the clock spring assembly. Ford also reviewed the SCCM circuitry diagram, which provides diagnostic path information, to verify that the Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs)reported in warranty and connected vehicle data could be related to open circuits resulting from the regions of insufficient welding.
Additionally, the CCRG investigation confirmed that Ford’s assembly plant controls check for DTCs during end-of-line processes, and in the event an airbag DTC is present, the vehicle would not be permitted to leave plant control.
- As of 6 December 2023, Ford is aware of 19 warranty reports received from May 1, 2023,through November 10, 2023, indicating open circuits that could potentially be related to the clock spring defect described in the supplier’s equipment recall report.
- On 8 December 2023, Ford’s Field Review Committee reviewed the problem and approved a field action. Ford is not aware of any reports of accidents or injuries related to this safety defect.
Ford Airbag Recall – 2023 F-150, F250, F350, F450, F550, F600
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Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is recalling 2023 F-150 and Ford SD F250, F350, F450, F550, and F600 vehicles. The steering wheel clock spring from supplier BCS Automotive Interface Solutions may have an bad weld, causing a loss of electrical connection to the driver’s frontal air bag. The customer may notice loss of illumination and function of switches on the steering wheel, such as radio controls, inoperative horn and an airbag warning light.
“The Steering Column Control Module (SCCM) in affected vehicles may contain a clock spring assembly with an insufficient weld between the bus bar and the ribbon cable. The ribbon cable provides connectivity to the driver airbag. An insufficient weld can lead to a disconnection of ribbon cable circuits, resulting in a loss of electrical connection to the driver’s front airbag. As a consequence the airbag warning light will illuminate and the driver airbag will not deploy,” Ford said in the required safety defect recall filing to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that has been made public on New Year’s day.
During the sub-supplier’s manufacturing process, clock spring bus bars may have been washed in isopropyl alcohol contaminated with glycerin, which can result in a bad weld between the bus bar and the ribbon cable of the clock spring assembly.
Dealers will inspect and replace the clock spring as necessary, free of charge as required by Federal law. Interim owner notifications explaining the safety risk are scheduled to be mailed 6January 2024. A second notice will be sent once so-called remedy parts become available months from now sometime during Q2 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov about NHTSA 23V847.
Chronology of Safety Defect
Ford searched warranty, customer and field reports as well as connected vehicle data to identify reports that may be related to open circuits caused by insufficient welding of the bus bar and ribbon cable of the clock spring assembly. Ford also reviewed the SCCM circuitry diagram, which provides diagnostic path information, to verify that the Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs)reported in warranty and connected vehicle data could be related to open circuits resulting from the regions of insufficient welding.
Additionally, the CCRG investigation confirmed that Ford’s assembly plant controls check for DTCs during end-of-line processes, and in the event an airbag DTC is present, the vehicle would not be permitted to leave plant control.