Ford has issued a recall of over 19,000 2019 Ranger pickup trucks, including 1,544 in Canada. The problem relates to the placement of the HVAC blower motor, which in some cases fails to respect the required clearance between an electrical terminal and the conductive base-plate slot. This could result in a resistive electrical short, and possibly a fire.
In plainer English, Ford has determined there’s a risk of the HVAC blower motor overheating, in which case some components could melt, leading to smoke or even fire.
Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries resulting from the issue, though it has received one warranty claim report that relates smoke appearing while the truck was in motion, and this is possibly related to the issue described above.
As well, there have been six reports of incidents in vehicle before they were delivered to dealerships. These units were returned to Ford to be inspected.
The recall targets 17,956 2019 Ranger trucks in the United States, and another 1,544 in Canada. All of these trucks were built at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant between August 1 and September 27, 2019.
Under the recall, dealerships will inspect the HVAC blower motor and replace it if it’s found to have been installed within the dates mentioned.