Ford Motor Company has issued a number of recalls in recent months addressing potential fire risks, many of which stem from a different flaw. Now, that list continues to grow, as select 2015-2019 Lincoln MKC crossovers are also being recalled over a fire risk concern, according to Reuters.
Ford is recalling a grand total of 142,000 2015-2019 Lincoln MKC crossovers due to an underhood fire risk that it believes is originating somewhere near the vehicle’s 12-volt battery. Thus far, the automaker is aware of 19 instances of underhood fires that may have been caused by this issue – seven of which have occurred since December. In each case, the vehicle was parked and turned off when the fire occurred, and the automaker isn’t aware of any injuries that have occurred as a result. While it investigates what is causing these fires, Ford is asking owners to park their Lincoln MKC crossovers outdoors and away from structures.
Back in May 2022, The Blue Oval recalled select 2021 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles over a similar issue, and later expanded that recall after discovering that the fires were caused by faulty circuit boards obtained from a supplier that are uniquely susceptible to a high-current short. One of these affected vehicles was believed to have been used by the Secret Service, and a number of owners filed a lawsuit over the issue last July.
Last November, FoMoCo also recalled select 2020-2022 Ford Escape and 2021-2023 Ford Bronco Sport models over a fuel injector issue that could lead to underhood fires. To fix this problem, Ford instructed dealers to update the engine control software to include fuel injector leak detection and install a drain tube, but a lawsuit was filed shortly thereafter calming that those fixes are inadequate.