— A Ford Explorer recall includes more than 126,000 model year 2011-2013 Explorers in these states that use road salt in the winter.
Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
The Explorers may be equipped with cross-axis ball joints that were used as replacement parts that could seize and break the outboard sections of the rear suspension toe links.
According to the automaker, the Explorers were originally built with rubber bushings for the rear suspension toe link attachments. It's possible cross-axis ball joints may have been used for the rear suspension toe link attachment if the suspension was serviced.
Road salt can cause corrosion of the parts and cause severe steering control problems if the parts fracture.
Ford recalled about 775,000 model year 2013-2017 Explorers after 48 fractured toe-link reports were received. That recall was also targeted toward states that used road salt, and Explorers in other states would be repaired under a customer service program.
Ford will mail Explorer recall notices November 1, 2021, and dealers will possibly replace the cross-axis ball joints, knuckles and toe links.
Ford Explorer owners may call 866-436-7332. Ford's reference number for this recall is 21S43.
