Ford is recalling roughly 660,000 Explorer SUVs in North America due to a potential problem with roof rail covers that could come off and cause a road hazard for other motorists. It’s important to note from the outset that this campaign affects the older generation of the model and not the most recent one, which has had its share of hiccups since it launched.
Of the total, 620,483 models are in the United States, 36,419 in Canada and another 4,260 are in Mexico.
The campaign concerns 2016-to-2019 models and affects all versions equipped with silver, black or Absolute Black roof rails.
In April 2020, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began an investigation into 11 incident reports of the roof rail covers coming off while driving, and it notified Ford of it findings the following month. The company initially said it would cover the problem with a warranty extension to 10 years/150,000 miles (241,000 km), but has now accepted the NHTSA recall request. Ford says that to its knowledge, there have been no accidents or injuries caused by the loose roof rails.
Owners will be notified of the recall beginning the last week of June and dealers will correct the problem by installing plastic pins to secure the roof rails and replacing any damaged parts.