Safety Recall 21S53 – Tailgate Latch Replacement – 2018 Ford F-150

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December 16, 2021 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V983000

Tailgate May Open Unexpectedly

Unexpected tailgate opening may allow unrestrained cargo to fall out of the truck bed and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V983

Manufacturer Ford Motor Company

Components LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

Potential Number of Units Affected 57,591

 

Summary

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150 vehicles with manual and power release tailgates. The tailgate latches may unlatch unexpectedly while driving.

 

Remedy

Dealers will replace the left-hand and right-hand tailgate latches, free of charge. An interim notification letter was mailed January 31, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 31, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford’s number for this recall is 21S53.

 

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.nhtsa.gov.

 

Check if your Vehicle has a Recall

 


September 9, 2022

NEW VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION / DELIVERY HOLD
Safety Recall 21S53 – Supplement #2
Certain 2018 Model Year F-150 built at Dearborn Assembly Tailgate Latch Replacement

 

AFFECTED VEHICLES

Vehicle Model Year Assembly Plant Build Dates
F-150 2018 Dearborn February 07, 2018, through April 16, 2018

Affected vehicles are identified in OASIS and FSA VIN Lists.

 

REASON FOR THIS SAFETY RECALL

Manual and power-release tailgate vehicles may be built with a tailgate latch that may unlatch under certain dynamic loading conditions. This could cause an unintended opening of the tailgate while the vehicle is in motion. Unintended tailgate opening can result in damage to the tailgate and/or loss of unrestrained cargo, increasing the risk of a crash.

 

SERVICE ACTION

Before demonstrating or delivering any new in-stock vehicles involved in this recall, dealers are to inspect and if necessary, replace the tailgate latch(es) per technical instructions. This service must be performed on all affected vehicles at no charge to the vehicle owner.

 

OWNER NOTIFICATION AND MAILING SCHEDULE

Owner letters were mailed the week of May 30, 2022. Owners were re-notified the week of August 1, 2022, informing them of the added inspection. Dealers should repair any affected vehicles that arrive at their dealerships, whether or not the customer has received a letter.

PLEASE NOTE:

Federal law requires dealers to complete this recall service before a new vehicle is delivered to the buyer or lessee. Violation of this requirement by a dealer could result in a civil penalty of up to $21,000 per vehicle. Correct all vehicles in your new vehicle inventory before delivery.

 

SOLD VEHICLES

  • Ford has not issued instructions to stop selling/delivering or driving used vehicles under this safety recall. Owners should contact their dealer for an appointment to have their vehicles remedied as soon as practicable. Owners can continue to safely drive their vehicles.
  • Correct other affected vehicles identified in OASIS which are brought to your dealership.
  • Dealers are to prioritize repairs of customer vehicles over repairs of new and used vehicle inventory.

 

STOCK VEHICLES

  • Correct all affected units in your new vehicle inventory before delivery.
  • Use OASIS to identify any affected vehicles in your used vehicle inventory.

 

DEALER-OPERATED RENTAL VEHICLES

The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act law effective June 2016 prohibits a rental company from selling, renting or leasing vehicles subject to a safety or compliance recall. Please consult your legal counsel for legal advice.

 

TITLE BRANDED / SALVAGED VEHICLES

Affected title branded and salvaged vehicles are eligible for this recall.

 

OWNER REFUNDS

  • This safety recall must still be performed, even if the owner has paid for a previous repair. Claiming a refund will not close the recall on the vehicle.
  • Ford Motor Company is offering a refund for owner-paid repairs covered by this recall if the repair was performed prior to the date indicated in the reimbursement plan, which is posted with this bulletin. Owners are directed to seek reimbursement through authorized dealers or, at their option, directly through Ford Motor Company at P.O. Box 6251, Dearborn, MI 481216251.
  • Dealers are also pre-approved to refund owner-paid emergency repairs that were performed away from an authorized servicing dealer after the end date specified in the reimbursement plan. Non-covered repairs, or those judged by Ford to be excessive, will not be reimbursed.
  • Refunds will only be provided for the cost associated with tailgate latch replacement.

 

RENTAL VEHICLES 

Rental vehicles are not approved for this program.

 

PARTS REQUIREMENTS

Part Number  Description  Order Quantity Claim Quantity
5L3Z-9943150-A Tailgate Latch (order one for each failed inspected latch) 1 1
W717588-S450 Latch bolts (4 in package) – Per WSM only upper latch bolts are required to be replaced 1 1 bolt per latch

 


CERTAIN 2018 MODEL YEAR F-150 VEHICLES BUILT AT DEARBORN ASSEMBLY— TAILGATE LATCH REPLACEMENT

 

SERVICE PROCEDURE

1. Lower the tailgate and inspect both latches for either a black plastic latch housing or a silver metal latch housing. See Figure 1. The black plastic housing is not to be confused with any bed liner over spray. See Figure 2.

PASS – Both latches have a silver metal housing and does not require replacement.

This completes the recall.

DOES NOT PASS – Either latch has a black plastic housing and requires replacement. Replace the affected latch(es) by following the Workshop Manual (WSM) procedures in Section 501-14.

NOTE: Only upper tailgate latch bolts require replacement per the WSM.

NOTE: Some vehicles may have been equipped with a tailgate latch with a electrical connector attached. This was for a tailgate switch, this switch was not used. The new tailgate latch will not have a switch, the electrical connector can be left unplugged.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Federal law prohibits selling motor vehicle parts or components that are under safety, compliance, or emissions recall. Unless a part is requested to be returned to Ford, all parts replaced under this FSA must be scrapped in accordance with all applicable local, state and federal environmental protection and hazardous material regulations. Refer to the Parts Retention, Return, & Scrapping section of the FSA dealer bulletin for further information.

 


Chronology :

On September 27, 2021, an issue pertaining to certain 2018 Model Year F-150 vehicles built with a suspect tailgate latch was brought to Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group for review.

As part of a concurrent, broader investigation into reports of unintended tailgate opening on 2015-2020MY F150 power release systems, Ford identified a subpopulation of vehicles that were built with a different tailgate latch design.

A review of Ford’s records found that this suspect tailgate latch was implemented into production at Dearborn Truck Plant (DTP) on February 7, 2018 for both the manual release and power release tailgate systems. An interim containment action (ICA) was implemented to replace the tailgate bumpers with bumpers containing a modified profile, in order to reduce the load on the tailgate latches. For further robustness, a permanent corrective action (PCA) involved reverting to the initial latch design on April 16, 2018. F-150 vehicles produced at Ford’s Kansas City Assembly Plant were not built with the suspect latch design.

During the current investigation, analysis of the suspect latch design and testing identified that the suspect tailgate latch incorporates a latch pawl that is perpendicular to the catch. This perpendicular latch design is susceptible to pawl walkout (unlatching) under certain dynamic loading conditions in this tailgate application.

A total of approximately 400 vehicles had a suspect latch repaired under warranty between May 21, 2018 and October 25, 2021.

On December 9, 2021, Ford’s Field Review Committee reviewed the concern and approved a field action.

Ford is not aware of any reports of accident or injury related to this condition.

 


1 Affected Product

Vehicle

MAKE MODEL YEAR
FORD F-150 2018

 


13 Associated Documents

Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-21V983-1752.PDF 214.953KB

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Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-21V983-7019.pdf 645.465KB

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ISSUED Interim Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RIONL-21V983-5638.pdf 44.255KB

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Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc) – Advance Notice re NEW VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION / DELIVERY HOLD – Advance Notice – Safety Recall 21S53 Certain 2018 Model Year F-150 built at Dearborn Assembly Tailgate Latch Replacement

RCMN-21V983-1871.pdf 134.57KB

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Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc) – Dealer Bulletin re NEW VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION / DELIVERY HOLD Safety Recall 21S53 Certain 2018 Model Year F-150 built at Dearborn Assembly Tailgate Latches Replacement

RCMN-21V983-3405.pdf 239.598KB

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ISSUED Owner Notification Letter(Part 577) (Parts Available)

RCONL-21V983-3607.pdf 53.786KB

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Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc) – Dealer Bulletin re NEW VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION / DELIVERY HOLD Safety Recall 21S53 – Supplement #1 Certain 2018 Model Year F-150 built at Dearborn Assembly Tailgate Latch Replacement

RCMN-21V983-6006.pdf 758.294KB

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Recall Quarterly Report

RCLQRT-21V983-9859.PDF 211.137KB

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Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc) – Dealer Bulletin re NEW VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION / DELIVERY HOLD Safety Recall 21S53 – Supplement #2 Certain 2018 Model Year F-150 built at Dearborn Assembly Tailgate Latch Replacement

RCMN-21V983-8724.pdf 633.776KB

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Recall 573 Report – 2/11/22

RCLRPT-21V983-3681.PDF 214.964KB

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Recall 573 Report – 7/22/22

RCLRPT-21V983-9156.PDF 214.98KB

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Recall Quarterly Report #2, 2022-3

RCLQRT-21V983-4117.PDF 211.24KB

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ISSUED Renotification Notice

RCRN-21V983-8552.pdf 548.767KB

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Latest Recalls Documents

For the Latest and Most Recent Recalls Information Visit the link below…

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=21V983&docType=RCL

 


 

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MBI AUTO - Primered Steel, Tailgate Shell for 1997-2003 Ford F150 1999-2007 F250 F350 F450 F550 Super Duty Styleside, FO1900113
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Last update on 2024-03-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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