Ford F-Series Truck Recall Alert: 874,000+ Have Fire Risk

Ford is recalling more than 874,000 F-Series trucks thanks to engine block heaters that pose a fire risk. 2015 – 2019 model years are affected all the way up to the F-550.

Ford F-Series Recall

Here in Central Florida, we don’t have a ton of need for engine block heaters, but not everyone is fortunate enough to live in a warm climate. The specific risk is on the heating cable for the engine block. With the current design, water and other contaminants are able to reach the cable itself and start the corrosion process.

Once that happens, there’s a risk of fire from an electrical short when you plug the cable into an outlet to heat the block.

More than 874,000 Ford F-Series trucks are included in the recall. 410,000+ are the in the United States and the other 463,000+ are in Canada. F-150 models from 2015 to 2019 make up a large chunk of the group. The rest comes from 2017 – 2019 model year F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 models. Here are the specifics:

• 2015 – 2019 Ford F-150 models built in Dearborn from March 18, 2014 – November 17, 2018
• 2015 – 2019 Ford F-150 models built in Kansas City from August 21, 2014 – November 17, 2018
• 2017 – 2019 Ford Super Duty models built in Ohio from February 5, 2016 – November 17, 2018
• 2017 – 2019 Ford Super Duty models built in Kentucky from October 8, 2015 – November 17, 2018

Get it Fixed

If your truck is affected by the recall, you should receive a notice in the mail. If you want to be proactive, head over to your local Ford service center.

Techs will inspect your heater cable and replace it if there’s any corrosion. If you’re still in good shape, they’ll put some dielectric grease on the connector and reattach it for you.

Talk About Inconvenient

Hey, Christmas is right around the corner and I may have been into the holiday spirit, er spirits, already. There’s no getting around that there’s hardly a worse time to have a recall like this, but I wrote this little poem to help lighten the mood a bit.

It’s the Friday before Christmas and all through the shop,

People are angry ’cause their heaters have stopped.

It’s cold as hell outside with more on the way,

Now I can’t plug in my heater and get on with my day.

Chevy’s are running to gatherings with food,

But I’m stuck right here and in a foul mood.

The dealer can’t get me in tomorrow or today,

It’s just too darn close to that festive holiday.

Perhaps it’s just hype and not all that dire,

Then again, I might wake up to an F-150 on fire.

I’ll be here all week. :-)

What is an Engine Block Heater? (Trucks 101 for Those of us in the South)

When you live in a colder climate, your engine has a really hard time starting when it’s cold. Even once it’s running, it can take a while until it warms up to the temperature range it needs to operate at its best.

An engine block heater lets you connect a plug on the engine to a standard outlet to keep the engine warm overnight or warm it up before you need to leave in the morning. Since it can take three or four hours to heat effectively, you might want to use a timer between the extension cord and outlet.

For most cars and trucks, you’re in good shape until the temperature starts dropping into the 5º – 10º F range.