Ford has issued a second recall for an old issue, asking drivers to bring back 12,833 vehicles that might fail to start because they can’t detect a dead battery. For some owners, this may be Ford’s third attempt to correct the problem.
Recalled models include some, but not all, examples of the:
Last April, Ford recalled more than 450,000 vehicles because software inside them could fail to detect a drained battery. That could leave them unable to start. A software error caused the problem, Ford said, so the company fixed it with a software update.
But the update didn’t work for everyone. In August, Ford learned that 757 of the vehicles were marked as updated but never actually received the upload. Therefore, Ford recalled those again.
It has since learned of a broader problem. The software tool dealers use to upload updates could sometimes report success even when the upload failed. Dealers had no idea. They returned some vehicles to customers as fixed when the upload hadn’t actually occurred.
Now, Ford needs to repeat the process for nearly 13,000 vehicles. This time, the company says, dealers have a new process that lets them verify that installation has occurred before returning the vehicle to the owner.
Recall repairs are always free. But millions of us miss recall notices every year and unknowingly drive recalled vehicles. Find out if your car needs any free safety repairs at our easy recall center.