Ford Recalling Over 460,000 SUVs Due to Faulty Camera Systems

The Ford Motor Company is recalling a sizable number of late-model SUVs over faulty rear-view camera systems that may not display what’s behind the vehicle. While rear-facing automotive camera systems are already susceptible to being obscured by roadway grime and cannot offer the same field of view as the driver turning their head, they’re often helpful in seeing behind vehicles without much reward visibility and have been federally mandated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) since 2018.

That means automakers are legally obligated to replace defective units, with Blue Oval looking down the barrel of at least 462,000 recalled units thus far. Impacted models include 2020-2023 model year Ford Explorer, Lincoln Corsair, and Lincoln Aviator vehicles equipped with Ford’s 360-degree camera system. Though not all of these are located in the United States, as this is a global recall.

A spokesperson for Ford confirmed with Automotive News that roughly 383,000 vehicles were sold in the U.S. – with more than 39,000 in Canada and at least 5,000 in Mexico.

From AN:

Ford told U.S. auto safety regulators it is aware of 17 minor accidents allegedly resulting from the defect. It is not aware of any injuries.

"Recalls are an important way for us to keep our customers safe and with every recall we want to make the experience of getting serviced easier on our customers," Buczkowski said in a statement to Automotive News. "With this recall, customers will be able to take advantage of mobile service free of charge with participating dealers to get the software update configured on their vehicle at their convenience."

Based on the recall report and documents pertaining to Ford’s internal investigation, it’s not assumed to be the camera itself that’s defective. The manufacturer believes that the video feed is having trouble displaying under specific circumstances. That means it may appear to be fine during one period and then fail the next time you’re attempting to back up out of a parking space. However, once the issue crops up, Ford believes it will be an intermittent problem until the necessary repairs can be conducted.

This involves updating the image processing module via a software push. While tweaking the code of vehicles has recently become the default first line of defense for recalls, they sometimes don’t do much more than buy an automaker time before hardware has to be replaced. Though, based on the data provided, it seems plausible that the unit (provided by French supplier Valeo) is simply having trouble interfacing with the vehicle.

Affected customers will notice their rear-view camera display being replaced with a blue screen and are cautioned against assuming it’ll be an isolated incident.

Ford noted that there have been 21 NHTSA Vehicle Owner Questionnaires submitted by customers experiencing rear camera blue images related to the issue as of January 5th, 2023. There have also been 2,115 warranty reports alleging a blue image in the rear camera display issued since November 30th.

Ford likewise reported that 17 minor accidents have been attributed to the defect. Though it still feels like the true onus of those incidents remains on the driver of the impacted vehicle for pulling out without taking additional precautions. Despite modern vehicles often having lackluster outward visibility, most driving has historically been done without the assistance of rearward-facing cameras.

The recall report states that Ford dealers should be notified starting on January 31st with owners being notified starting on February 20th. If you’re concerned that your SUV might be affected and don’t want to wait on the notification, you can contact the manufacturer directly, or input your vehicle identification number (VIN) into the NHTSA’s database.

[Image: Ford]

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