Ford and Lincoln are recalling more than 650,000 pickup trucks and SUVs because their windshield wipers can fail to operate, potentially leaving drivers struggling to see the road in wet weather.
The recall affects:
- 2020-2021 F-150
- 2020-2021 Ford Expedition
- 2020-2021 Lincoln Navigator
Ready for a highly technical explanation of a bad wiper? In documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ford explains (deep breath), “Worn wiper arm spline tooling core inserts at the supplier resulted in insufficient spline tooth height, which can cause the arm attachment to strip when used with certain wiper motors with higher torque.”
The result? Wipers can work intermittently or stop functioning altogether. Only about 1% of the 650,000 vehicles have the suspect parts. But Ford isn’t sure which ones they are. Dealers will need to inspect all of the cars to find them, then replace both wipers’ arms if necessary.
2021 F-150 owners should note that this is the second windshield wiper recall for their trucks. Some may have had their wiper motors replaced under a March recall. We’ve asked Ford for clarification on whether any F-150s are affected by both recalls.
Recall repairs are always free. But millions of us miss recall notices every year and unknowingly drive recalled vehicles. Find out if your car needs any free safety repairs at our easy recall center.
