Ford Australia is working to rectify compliance issues with its F-150 before it can officially resume sales of the full-sized pickup truck.
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It put a stop-sale on the F-150 in May after it was discovered lighting fixtures were in breach of Australian Design Rules (ADRs). The vehicle was also recently removed from the Ford Australia website.
"Ford Australia is engaging with F-150 owners to rectify non-compliances with Australian regulatory requirements, with rectification work being done on certain features, primarily related to lighting," said a company spokesperson.
"Ford Australia is also completing rectification work on all F-150s that are yet to be sold or delivered to customers."
The company says a total of 992 registered vehicles are affected, which includes customer-delivered vehicles and dealer demonstrators.
Customers will receive recall letters in the coming weeks asking them to book in the required repair works.
"We thank customers for their patience, and we will be offering compensation to impacted customers, which varies depending on the rectification required on their vehicle," said the spokesperson.
This is in addition to the previously announced five years or 75,000km of complimentary servicing to owners of F-150s delivered or contracted by May 6, 2024, which replaced the existing four-year/60,000km service program that saw each visit priced at $429.
Ford says the additional compensation is for "all F-150 customers whose vehicle has either been delivered or contracted as of when full details of the lightning non-compliances were outlined on May 29, and who retain their vehicle or proceed with their purchase".
The monetary amounts are as follows:
- XLT SWB: $1000
- XLT LWB: $1350
- Lariat SWB: $2150
- Lariat LWB: $2500
"Alternatively, if customers who have taken delivery of their vehicle are not satisfied with the compensation Ford is offering, depending on their circumstances, they may be entitled to reject their vehicle and obtain a full refund of the purchase price of their vehicle under the Australian Consumer Law," said the spokesperson.
"Customers who have not taken delivery may choose to have their deposit refunded and not proceed with their purchase."
All F-150 models are receiving the following rectifications:
- Courtesy white lamps next to the centre high-mounted brake light at the rear will be disabled, as they're not allowed to be visible from the rear of the vehicle under Australian Design Rule 13/00
- The pre-collision assist system will be updated so that autonomous emergency braking defaults to on at every ignition cycle
Long-wheelbase F-150s will receive new Category 6 Side Direction Indicator Lamps (SDILs) on the front fenders, replacing the Category 5 lights fitted, while Lariats receive the most changes due to breaches of ADR 13/00.
These comprise:
- Upper daytime running lights (DRLs) will be reconfigured to turn off when the indicators are switched on
- Lower DRLs will be disabled, as they "exceed the maximum allowable distance from the upper DRLs" and are therefore not permitted to be illuminated
- The Zone Lighting feature will be disabled as it illuminates the rear reversing lights
- Front fog lights will be reconfigured as they can't be turned on when the headlights are on high-beam
After announcing the stop-sale on May 7, Ford issued a recall on May 17.
"The courtesy lamps fitted in the vehicles do not comply with the requirements set out in the Australian Design Rules (ADR)," the company says in its recall notice.
"The affected vehicles do not comply with ADR 13/00 – Installation of Lighting and Light Signalling Devices."
This followed a recall from March, where a total of 2020 F-150s were recalled for being noncompliant with ADR 13/00. However, this recall encompassed only long-wheelbase versions.
F-150s are built in left-hand drive in the US, and remanufactured to right-hand drive locally by Ford's Thai-based partner RMA Automotive.
That's in contrast with the rival Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500 – as well as the Toyota Tundra – which are remanufactured by Walkinshaw.
The F-150 has endured a rocky rollout, with multiple recalls.
In January, the F-150 was hit with a recall for a steering fault, with owners told to stop driving immediately due to a risk of the steering rack separating from the intermediate shaft.
A second recall came in the following weeks, for a clock spring defect which could lead to the driver's airbag not functioning in a crash.
MORE: Everything Ford F-150
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
