The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2013 Explorer vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. These vehicles may be equipped with a cross-axis ball joint (CABJ) replacement part that could seize, and result in a fracture of the outboard section of the rear suspension toe link.
The risk
A rear toe link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealer will inspect for the presence of a CABJ. If a CABJ of any design is found, the dealer will inspect the tightness of the CABJ, and replace the CABJ, knuckle, and/or toe link as necessary, free of charge. Interim notification letters were mailed November 10, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 17, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S43.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Explorer | 2011, 2012, 2013 |
Components: SUSPENSION:REAR
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Explorer | 2011 | 1,197 | 6 |
| Ford Explorer | 2012 | 829 | 5 |
| Ford Explorer | 2013 | 2,237 | 11 |
Other suspension recalls in 2021
48 of the 988 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2021 concerned the suspension; Ford Motor Company filed 737 campaigns in all.
| 21V00F000 22 Dec 2021 | General Motors, LLC |
| 21V990000 17 Dec 2021 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC |
| 21V935000 1 Dec 2021 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| 21V912000 21 Nov 2021 | Tesla, Inc. |
| 21V911000 19 Nov 2021 | Porsche Cars North America, Inc. |
| 21V886000 16 Nov 2021 | Jayco, Inc. |
| 21V870000 10 Nov 2021 | Ford Motor Company |
| 21V835000 25 Oct 2021 | Tesla, Inc. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2021