Ford Motor Company has issued a recall of nearly 113,000 F-150 pickup trucks over concerns a rear axle hub bolt may break and potentially cause the vehicle to roll away while parked.
The recall applies to the 2021 to 2023 models of the truck "equipped with the Trailer Tow Max Duty package and a 9.75-inch heavy duty axle with a 3/4 float axle design," National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a notice from Jan 2.
According to the NHTSA, the truck's rear axle hub bolt "may fatigue and break," which can result in damage to the axle's hub splines.
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Damaged axle hub splines can cause vehicles to roll away when parked or lose drive power, which increases the risk of a crash, NHTSA said.
As of Dec. 2, Ford had registered 376 warranty reports related to broken rear axle bolts and stripped hub splines that resulted in loss of motive power or loss of park, Ford said in a statement.
Though Ford is still figuring out a long-term solution, customers who experience "a clicking or rattling noise" in their trucks should engage in the electronic parking brake and take their trucks to service.
Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Affected customers will begin to receive a recall letter beginning January 29th, NHTSA said.
Back in October, Ford recalled over 238,000 Explorers because of a similar issue.
