Ford Motors announced a recall of 850,000 vehicles on Thursday to fix an electrical issue which may prevent the airbags and other safety features in deploying in the event of a crash.
The recall will affect the 2013 to 2014 models of the Escape, C-MAX, Lincoln MKZ and Ford Fusion. 745,000 of these vehicles are sold in the United States. Of these, 20,000 were purchased in Mexico and 82,000 were from Canada. The problem lies with the vehicle's restraints control module which is part of the airbag's mechanism, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The control module of some of the affected cars is prone to short circuits, and once this happens, it can trigger a warning light for the deployment of the airbag. However, a short circuit's location can prevent the air bags from functioning properly. It may also impede the implementation of other safety features such as side curtain and seat belt pretensioners during a crash, Reuters reported.
The short circuit could also disturb the regular functions of other systems in the car, including stability control. In such cases, the warning lights are turned on.
As of now, the company does not know if there are injuries or accidents related to this issue. Recalls are conducted to enable the dealers to replace the faulty restraints control module free of charge.
The recall came as another blow for its Escape crossover, which has been recalled 12 times already in a span of two years for different issues. Experts recommend the company to form a team to focus on Escape.
"Vehicle launches are complex and each one has its own issues," a Ford spokeswoman told the Wall Street Journal. "We work through them and while we know this is an inconvenience for our customers, we are trying to insure their safety."
