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Ford issues recalls for big vans and F-150 trucks van wiring issue led to fires

DETROIT — Ford has recalled more than 100,000 full-sized vans and F-150 trucks in North America, including 8,365 vans in Canada to fix a wiring problem that was potentially related to two fires.

DETROIT — Ford has recalled more than 100,000 full-sized vans and F-150 trucks in North America, including 8,365 vans in Canada to fix a wiring problem that was potentially related to two fires.

The company said it is not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with this issue.

The recall announced Wednesday covers 73,443 Ford Transit vans from 2015 through 2017 that have a trailer tow computer module.

Here’s what you need to know about the recall:

— Ford says water can enter the module and cause corrosion. That could cause an electrical short and an increased fire risk.

— Corrosion also can cause unexpected seat belt pretensioner activation, rapid flashing of turn signals, loss of heating and air conditioning controls and other problems.

— Fires could happen when the ignition is off so Ford is recommending they be parked outdoors until repairs are made.

— Owners can have dealers disable the module as a temporary fix. Dealers will add a drain hole to the driver’s door step well and install a fuse in a wiring harness when parts become available at an unspecified later date.

The U.S.-based carmaker also issued three other safety recalls involving F-150 vehicles.

One involves about 15,000 trucks, including 2,203 in Canada with 3.3-litre engines, six-speed transmissions and column-mounted shift levers. Inaccurate gear selection could result in unintended vehicle movement.

Rapid shifts from park to drive may cause a loss of the gear indication in the instrument panel and result in a momentary engagement of reverse or neutral operation before the vehicle achieves forward drive function. There are no reported accidents or injuries associated with this issues.

The affected vehicles were built between Jan. 12 and Oct. 9 at the Dearborn and Kansas City assembly plants.

A third recall involves 15,000 2017 Ford F-150 vehicles with 10-speed automatic transmission. The affected vehicles are unable to shift the transmission using the shift lever.

The pin attaching the transmission shift linkage to the transmission may come out, leaving the transmission stuck in that gear. The key could be removed even if the vehicle is not in park, making it impossible to restart the vehicle and increasing the risk of accident or injury.

The affected vehicles include 3,160 vehicles sold in Canada that were built between August 2016 and August 2017.

The fourth recall involves nearly 30 2018 Ford F-150 vehicles with 3.5-litre engines for possible loss of motive power and engine failure.

In affected vehicles, certain cylinder heads are missing machined holes intended to supply lubrication to the camshaft-bearing journals. The lack of proper lubrication increases the risk of a crash, although there are no reported accidents or injuries.

The vehicles, including seven sold in Canada, were built Sept. 3-17.