660,000 Ford Explorer SUVs Have Been Recalled

A potential problem with the roof rails on more than 600,000 vehicles has led to a massive recall.

Ford Motor Company is recalling 661,000 Explorer sport utility vehicles in North  America over fears that retention pins could loosen and allow roof rail covers to detach.

The recall covers 2016 through 2019 model year Explorer SUVs. As part of the maintenance, dealers will install push pins and replace any damaged rail clips and roof rail covers.

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The vehicles covered by the recall have roof rail covers that are painted silver, black or absolute black.

The recall includes 620,483 vehicles in the United States, 36,419 in Canada, and 4,260 in Mexico.

The issue dates back more than a year, according to documents posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website following 11 reports of roof rail cover detachment.

In April of 2021, the NHTSA requested that Ford issue a recall, but the automaker had declined at first, citing a low likelihood of a roof rail detaching. Ford later proposed extending the warranty on those vehicles to cover the issue for 10 years or 150,000 miles. Then, late that same month, they agreed to the recall.

A Ford spokesperson says the company is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the retention pins and roof rails.

Customer notifications will begin the week of June 28, but you can check to see if your Explorer SUV impacted by entering the vehicle identification number (VIN) on the recall page of Ford's website.