Ford F-150 recall: What to do if your truck is affected

Clark Howard | January 7th, 2019

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Owners of Ford F-150s and Super Duty trucks can start to bring their vehicles in to be serviced this week after a massive recall, according to the Detroit-based automaker.

The recall, which concerns the engine block heater cable, was originally announced by Ford about two weeks ago. More than 874,000 trucks are affected in North America, with about 400,000 of them in the United States.

What to know about the Ford F-150 recall

The company said that the cable as it is now is susceptible to water damage or other contaminants. That could lead to corrosion over time and short the engine.

“The risk to safety only exists while the vehicle is parked and the block heater cable is plugged into an electrical outlet,” the automaker said in a news release announcing the recall in late December.

Ford F-150 recall: Here are the affected trucks

Model year 2015-19 F-150 vehicles built at Ford’s Dearborn plant between March 18, 2014 and Nov. 17, 2018 and at the Kansas City assembly plant between Aug. 21, 2014 and Nov. 17, 2018.
Model year 2017-19 Super Duty vehicles built at the Ohio assembly plant between Feb. 5, 2016 and Nov. 17, 2018 and at the Kentucky truck plant between Oct. 8, 2015 and Nov. 17, 2018.

If you own one of the recalled Ford F-150s, the company is encouraging you to take the vehicle into a participating dealer.

Dealerships will “inspect the engine block heater cable and replace it if it is damaged or corroded,”Ford said. “If there are no signs of damage or corrosion, dealers will apply dielectric grease to the splice connector and reconnect. If a replacement cable is required but unavailable, the customer will receive an information sheet and will be notified via mail for a follow-up appointment once parts become available.”

The reference number for the recall is 18S45, according to Ford.