Ford has issued a recall for 1,902 Transit Trail vans from model years 2023 and 2024 because ordinary driving can damage the tires. The Transit Trail is an off-road version of Ford’s Transit cargo aimed at the #VanLife market. It has standard all-wheel drive (AWD), all-terrain tires, and a cargo space lined with drillable walls for conversion into a living space.
Ford tells the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that those all-terrain tires may not have sufficient clearance from the scratch-resistant wheel arch liners. Ford’s filing says, “Due to insufficient packaging allowance, the front tires may contact the front wheel arch liner and body flange under certain vehicle loading, steering angle, and braking conditions.”
A tire can wear quickly when repeatedly rubbed against a wheel liner. “Repeated contact of a front tire with the wheel arch liner and body flange may lead to rapid air loss and tread-belt separation, which can result in a loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of a crash,” Ford notes.
Ford says it knows of no accidents but has received five warranty reports, ten field reports, and one owner report related to the problem.
Ford is still working on a remedy. When it comes, it will be free. By law, dealers never charge for recall repairs.
Automakers recall many cars to fix safety defects, sometimes more than once. While automakers try to reach every owner to ask them to bring the vehicle in for repair, they rarely reach them all. Millions of cars on American roads need free recall repairs. Check the easy VIN tool at our recall center to determine if your car is one of them.
