Ford Door Latch Recalls Close Down Federal Investigation

February 13, 2022 — A Ford door latch recall, followed by several more recalls, has convinced the government to close a federal investigation that was opened in December 2019.

Ford door latch problems have haunted the automaker since at least 2014, primarily in Ford Fiesta, Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles.

Ford owners complained the doors failed to latch or they suddenly opened while driving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened its first investigation in 2014 after Fiesta owners complained about the door latches.

The investigation was expanded in 2015 which led Ford to recall about 337,000 model year 2012-2014 Ford Fiesta, 2013-2014 Ford Fusion and 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ vehicles in the U.S.

But that 2015 door latch recall was followed by an August 2016 recall of 830,000 vehicles, which was followed by a door latch recall of 2.3 million Ford vehicles in September 2016.

The door latch problems continued, and in March 2017 about 211,000 model year 2014 Ford Fiesta, 2013-2014 Ford Fusion and 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ vehicles were recalled.

In December 2019, NHTSA opened another investigation following hundreds of door latch complaints about 2012-2014 Ford Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles.

Some owners complained their Ford door latches failed even though the vehicles had been repaired during previous recalls. Others reported their vehicles hadn't been included in the door latch recalls that were necessary due to failures caused by the latch pawl spring tabs breaking from fatigue.

Ford issued another recall in March 2020 for vehicles not previously repaired under prior door latch recalls. However, the recall was regional and based on vehicles registered in states affected by high ambient temperatures.

Then in June 2020, another Ford door latch recall was announced for 2 million vehicles previously repaired during prior recalls. Ford said the door latch repairs may not have been correct and it was possible some of the latches were never replaced by dealerships.

NHTSA says it received nearly 4,500 door latch reports along with three injury reports. Ford also supplied its own injury stats.

"Ford’s reported injury incidences include one (unconfirmed) report of an ejection, three minor injuries with the others involving undisclosed injuries. Ford’s crashes involved two (unconfirmed) crashes alleging the incident door contacted another vehicle and three involving doors striking other property." — NHTSA

The Ford door latch recalls include these vehicles.