NHTSA Recall - Loss of Steering from Front Control Arm Separation (Impacting certain 2023 to 2024 builds)

[PJnc284]

Well, got my first formal notice...from CarFax! Well, that's good, but it says "Remedy Not Available". I wouldn't think that nuts would be a big back-order item.

Might just be that Ford isn't actively resolving the issue now. They're not even sending out the notices until February.

 

[Mike G]

Might just be that Ford isn't actively resolving the issue now. They're not even sending out the notices until February.

What Ford issued was an Advance Notice. With details to follow. They have to write up the remedy, and provision the repair parts in the system so they are available when the actual recall is released.

 

[PJnc284]

yeah that seems to be what the NHTSA site is saying for my vin.

Dec 20,2024
Manufacturer Recall Number24S76
NHTSA Recall NumberAWAITING
Recall Status Recall Incomplete, remedy not yet available
SummaryON YOUR VEHICLE, THE NUT ON THE BALL JOINT WHICH SECURES THE FRONT UPPER CONTROL ARM TO THE KNUCKLE ASSEMBLY MAY BE LOOSE OR MISSING. THIS CAN RESULT IN SEPARATION OF THE FRONT UPPER CONTROL ARM FROM THE KNUCKLE ASSEMBLY.

Safety Risk SEPARATION OF THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE FRONT UPPER CONTROL ARM AND KNUCKLE ASSEMBLY MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. FORD MOTOR COMPANY IS WORKING TO PROVIDE PARTS FOR THIS REPAIR. WHEN THE REMEDY BECOMES AVAILABLE, FORD MOTOR COMPANY WILL NOTIFY YOU VIA MAIL TO SCHEDULE A SERVICE APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR DEALER FOR REPAIRS TO BE COMPLETED FREE OF CHARGE. THE REMEDY IS ANTICIPATED TO BE AVAILABLE IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2025.

 

[NikonJim]

I was hoping I wasn’t impacted.

I am surprised they just don’t torque it to spec. Looks like they are short nuts.

 

[PrimeRisk]

I was hoping I wasn’t impacted.

I am surprised they just don’t torque it to spec. Looks like they are short nuts.

Mike G (quoted below) is saying that this is likely an issue where IF they find that the nut isn't torqued correctly that they will have to replace the entire ball joint as there's no way to know if it was damaged while the nut was loose. I thought that a shortage of nuts shouldn't be a big deal, but it may be a bigger deal than we thought.

My SA and I were talking about this the other day, and he said this problem was first brought up or found on Broncos. He told me that they had to replace the ball joint if the nut was loose because there was no way of knowing whether there had been any damage to the stud due to the loose nut. You can't simply just replace the nut and torque it down without knowing if damage was done to the shaft, so you have to replace the ones that were loose. So obviously I haven't seen the repair instructions and don't know what will be called out, but it's my assumption that what happened on the Bronco recall will happen with the Lightnings.

 

[NikonJim]

Mike G (quoted below) is saying that this is likely an issue where IF they find that the nut isn't torqued correctly that they will have to replace the entire ball joint as there's no way to know if it was damaged while the nut was loose. I thought that a shortage of nuts shouldn't be a big deal, but it may be a bigger deal than we thought.

Yes, saw that. But the title says nut replacement. Just going by what it says.

 

[mrau]

Wow, did not know the nut could be missing. Certainly worth looking at that ball joint to make sure a nut is on there…… even if it isn’t torqued properly.
Be nuts to drive the truck without a nut.

 

[Mach Turtle]

Hello from another nut case.

When this thread first appeared, I checked my manufacturing date (oh, nuts*) and then immediately did a visual nut check (at least they're there and appear tight**). Today the recall notice has appeared on my Ford account web page.

The question which comes to mind is this: Is there anything we can do to minimize the chance that we'll be stuck without our trucks for a long time?

If we pass the torque test, no problem; they torque on new nuts and we're good to go. Surely every dealer will have a few nuts (even the right kind) around. If not, they apparently need to replace lots of parts, and they probably won't have those sitting around in stock. Perhaps they'll be next-day-air shipped, or perhaps they'll come by mule train, who knows.

Am I worrying about a non-issue here? Is it entirely out of our hands? I'd like to say "Show me a replacement set of control arms that you have right here in the shop just in case, or I'm walking" but that doesn't seem feasible.

* Sorry.
** Stop that.

 

[Ricks Lightning]

So how difficult is it to tighten my nuts

Are my nuts so special that the dealer can't tighten them yet? Do my nuts need replacement?

How are your nuts? Has anyone checked theirs lately? What happens if my nuts falloff?

Do I need to hang my truck nuts off my tow hitch so my Flash can Flash everyone

Now that I have everyone's attention, is this something that went wrong in assembly or manufacturing of the nut.
Is it just torqueing to a specific range add a locknut or locktite. Seems like it's a simple fix , yet nothing is avaliable to schedule an appointment.

Rick

I

 

[Heliian]

Search before posting, this has been covered briefly.

 

[NikonJim]

https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...-impacting-certain-2023-to-2024-builds.23506/

 

[farmtruck]

So how difficult is it to tighten my nuts

Are my nuts so special that the dealer can't tighten them yet? Do my nuts need replacement?

How are your nuts? Has anyone checked theirs lately? What happens if my nuts falloff?

Do I need to hang my truck nuts off my tow hitch so my Flash can Flash everyone

Now that I have everyone's attention, is this something that went wrong in assembly or manufacturing of the nut.
Is it just torqueing to a specific range add a locknut or locktite. Seems like it's a simple fix , yet nothing is avaliable to schedule an appointment.

Rick

I

I would talk to the dealer before tightening the nuts. The ball joints are likely on tapered pins and will wear very fast if they get loose. If your dealer sees tight nuts, they may check you off without repair because they did not see the damage/symptom.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Calibration of the tool was the root issue

 

[Bills R Electric]

So how difficult is it to tighten my nuts

Are my nuts so special that the dealer can't tighten them yet? Do my nuts need replacement?

How are your nuts? Has anyone checked theirs lately? What happens if my nuts falloff?

Do I need to hang my truck nuts off my tow hitch so my Flash can Flash everyone

Now that I have everyone's attention, is this something that went wrong in assembly or manufacturing of the nut.
Is it just torqueing to a specific range add a locknut or locktite. Seems like it's a simple fix , yet nothing is avaliable to schedule an appointment.

Rick

I

Your nuts could be missing....

 

[msdickerson]

So how difficult is it to tighten my nuts

Are my nuts so special that the dealer can't tighten them yet? Do my nuts need replacement?

How are your nuts? Has anyone checked theirs lately? What happens if my nuts falloff?

Do I need to hang my truck nuts off my tow hitch so my Flash can Flash everyone

Now that I have everyone's attention, is this something that went wrong in assembly or manufacturing of the nut.
Is it just torqueing to a specific range add a locknut or locktite. Seems like it's a simple fix , yet nothing is avaliable to schedule an appointment.

Rick

I

I got the same alert for my 2024 Flash. BUT I only got this alert via the ford owners website, and not on my Fordpass app on my phone. Kind of confusing. Also if the nuts are loose then why can't they simply be tightened? If they are missing then don't you think we should actually immediately know and immediately bring the truck in for a new NUT?