Ford Recalls Trucks for Parking Gear Problem

Ford Motor Company is recalling almost 50,000 pickup trucks after finding a problem allowing them to roll when shifted into park.

Ford notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on March 31, 2017 of an issue involving 48,443 2017 Ford F-250 pickup trucks. The recall only applies to those trucks with the 6R100 transmissions installed.

The transmissions, manufactured by Burkland Inc. of Goodrich, Michigan, were installed with damaged park rod actuating plates. The plates are vital for the transmission to correctly shift into park. If the transmission cannot successfully engage in park, the truck could move if the parking brake isn’t engaged.

Ford said their investigation found a tooling issue at Burkland’s plant may have damaged to the park rod actuating plates. The company reviewed the issue following warranty claims indicating the vehicle’s rolled while their transmissions were in park. The company found damage on the transmission park road actuating plate.

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Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the park rod actuating plate and replace it, if necessary, free of charge. Remedy parts are currently unavailable. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed in April 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford’s number for this recall is 17C06.

Ford said the vehicles are not produced in VIN order, so concerned Ford consumers need to call the above number to find information on their specific vehicle. They can also contact their local Ford or Lincoln dealer to get the information from their service information system.

The manufacturer of your vehicle is legally required to fix any recalled problems for free. If the dealership refuses to fix the part or tries to charge you for the repair, contact the manufacturer immediately. The Highway Safety Act of 1970, which created the NHTSA, requires car manufacturers to pay for the recall and replacement of a defective part.

If the manufacturer fails to repair, replace, repurchase, or provide the loss value of your recalled vehicle, they are violating the warranty and a lawyer may be able to help you. Lemon law attorneys help their clients by dealing directly with the manufacturer on the clients’ behalf, working to promptly resolve the issue and get their clients back on the road. Thanks to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, attorneys can seek their fees directly from the manufacturer, meaning a client can obtain legal counsel without having to pay attorneys’ fees directly out of pocket.