21E027 – Upper Ball Joint May Be Installed Incorrectly – MOOG K500359 Ball Joints – 2015-2018 Ford F-150

April 12, 2021 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21E027000

Upper Ball Joint May Be Installed Incorrectly

An incorrectly installed ball joint may cause the ball joint stud to break, which can compromise front wheel control, increasing the risk of a crash.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 21E027

Manufacturer Tenneco Automotive

Components SUSPENSION

Potential Number of Units Affected 2,394

 

Summary

Tenneco Automotive (DRiV) is recalling certain MOOG K500359 ball joints, for aftermarket installation on 2015-2018 Ford F-150 trucks. The ball joint may have a misaligned dust boot and may be missing alignment hole and installation warning tag, which may lead to improper alignment of the ball joint.

 

Remedy

DRiV will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and if necessary replace the ball joint, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 5, 2021. Owners may contact Tenneco Automotive customer service at 1-877-489-6659.

 

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

---

IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL

RECALL NO. 21E027 April 2021

 

Dear Valued MOOG Customer:

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.  DRiV, Inc. has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain MOOG brand upper ball joints, Part No. K500359, intended for aftermarket installation on MY2015 – 2018 Ford F-150 vehicles. We are conducting a voluntary safety recall to address the issue. You are receiving this letter because retailer records indicate that you may have purchased one of these parts.

 

What Products are Involved?

This recall involves MOOG Part No. K500359 upper ball joints that were manufactured March 3, 2020 through January 12, 2021.

 

What is the Problem?

Due to a lack of an alignment hole and installation warning tag, and a potentially misaligned dust boot, there is a risk that the upper ball joint may be installed incorrectly. If the ball joint is installed incorrectly, normal suspension movement may cause breakage of the ball joint stud, which may compromise front wheel control and increase the risk of a vehicle crash.

 

What should you do?

If you purchased your MOOG brand upper ball joint, Part No. K500359, after March 15, 2020, please contact the place of purchase to have your ball joint inspected to determine whether it is covered by this recall. If covered, you will receive a replacement ball joint (K500422) free of charge, parts and labor.  Remedy parts are currently available. Inspection of the ball joint should take approximately 1 hour. Replacement, if necessary, should take approximately 3 – 4 hours.

 

Questions or Concerns?

For the most efficient service, your distributor has been instructed how to manage the return of these parts. As such, they should be your first point of contact related to this recall. If you do not obtain the service required, you may contact Customer Service of MOOG at 877-489-6659 or [email protected]. If you are unable to obtain a remedy without charge within a reasonable time, you may submit a complaint to: Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590; or call the toll-free Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov.

 

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but we are taking this action in the interest of your personal safety and satisfaction with our products.

 

Sincerely,

 

DRiV, Inc.

 

---

IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL

RECALL NO. 21E027

(April 2021)

 

Dear Valued MOOG Customer:

We are writing to inform you that DRiV, Inc. is conducting a voluntary safety recall of certain MOOG brand upper ball joints, Part No. K500359, intended for aftermarket installation on MY 2015 – 2018 Ford F-150 vehicles. Our records indicate that recalled products were shipped to you.

 

What Products are Involved?

This recall involves MOOG Part No. K500359 upper ball joints with a packaging date code of 6110063 through 6111012. These parts were manufactured March 3, 2020 through January 12, 2021. For assistance identifying the packaging date code, please refer to the enclosed “Product Notice,” which you may have previously received.

 

What is the Problem?

Due to a lack of an alignment hole and installation warning tag, and a potentially misaligned dust boot, there is a risk that the upper ball joint may be installed incorrectly. If the ball joint is installed incorrectly, normal vertical movement may cause the ball joint stud to contact the housing, potentially leading to breakage of the stud. If the ball joint stud breaks, front wheel control will be compromised, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

 

What should you do?

• Product Remaining in Your Inventory: If any of the subject parts remain in your inventory, you should return them to MOOG per the attached “Product Notice” for credit.  Replacements parts should be available for ordering by May 1, 2021.  Replacement parts will have new part number, K500422, and the parts will have an alignment hole and an affixed warning tag to assist in proper installation. Note: It is a violation of federal law to sell the recalled products.

 

• Products You Sold to Other Resellers: If you sold the recalled ball joints to reselling customers, you must forward a copy of this letter and enclosed “Owner Letter” to them within five (5) business days of receipt. Recalled products should be returned to you, as the original point of purchase, for a refund or to receive a replacement ball joint.

 

• Products You Installed or Sold to Consumers: You must immediately check your sale records to identify any consumers to whom you sold the recalled product and send them a copy of the enclosed NHTSAapproved Owner Letter. Alternatively, you can email your customers’ contact information to DRiV at [email protected] and we will contact them directly. When contacted by the consumer, please do the following: (1) Inspect the customer’s ball joint per the enclosed “Inspection Procedure”; (2) If covered by this recall and incorrectly installed, the ball joint should be replaced at no cost to the customer; and (3) Submit a claim under the MOOG warranty claims process.

 

If you have any questions, please contact Customer Service of MOOG at 877-489-6659 or  [email protected]. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but we are taking this action in the interest of our customers’ personal safety and satisfaction with our products.

 

Sincerely,

 

DRiV, Inc.

 

Enclosures (Product Notice; Owner Letter; Inspection Procedure)

 

---

5 Affected Products

Vehicle

 

---

Equipment

 

---

8 Associated Documents

Recall Quarterly Report #1, 2021-2

RCLQRT-21E027-1574.PDF 211.132KB

---

Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc)

RCMN-21E027-0695.pdf 161.746KB

---

ISSUED Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RCONL-21E027-0744.pdf 124.24KB

---

Recall 573 Report – Amendment 1

RCLRPT-21E027-6268.PDF 215.538KB

---

Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-21E027-3988.pdf 703.519KB

---

Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-21E027-2006.PDF 215.279KB

---

Recall Quarterly Report #2, 2021-3

RCLQRT-21E027-0602.PDF 211.232KB

---

Recall Quarterly Report #3, 2021-4

RCLQRT-21E027-2139.PDF 211.319KB

---

Latest Recalls Documents

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=21E027&docType=RCL

 

---

 

Last update on 2022-05-14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API