Ford announced a recall for its recently resurrected midsize truck in the 2019 Ranger on Wednesday, Feb. 6. The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker reports in a news release that there are about 3,500 affected Rangers in North America with 3,000 of them in the U.S. “In the affected vehicles, the PRNDL bezel wiring may interfere with the shifter interlock override, preventing the shifter from locking in the park position and allowing the driver to shift the transmission out of park with the vehicle off and without a foot on the brake pedal,” Ford explains in the release. Related: Ford celebrates impending start of returning Ranger production in Michigan New Ranger models included in the recall were manufactured at the Michigan Assembly Plant between June 4, 2018 and Jan. 9. The automaker says it is unaware of any crashes or injuries related to the recall. Once affected owners are notified, dealers will verify the “shifter interlock functionality by attempting to move the transmission shifter out of park with the vehicle off and without a foot on the brake pedal.” If the shifter moves out of park during this test, then dealers will attempt to look for anything disrupting the wiring, relocate the wiring and then do the test over again. Related: Ford releases official fuel economy ratings for resurrected midsize Ranger To search active recalls, use the NHTSA’s website to search your 17-character VIN at this link. VIN numbers are typically located under the driver’s side windshield, or along the inside of the doors behind the seat or under the steering wheel. To sign up for NHTSA safety alerts for a specific vehicle, sign up at this link.<doc-sep>After only a few months on the market, Ford's new Ranger mid-size pickup truck is being recalled to fix an issue with the automatic transmission's shifter interlock override feature. The recall affects 3000 Ranger models in the United States and 500 in Canada that were produced between June 4, 2018, and January 9, 2019. The shifter interlock override feature is meant to prevent unwanted vehicle movement, locking the transmission when in park and requiring the vehicle to be running and the driver's foot on the brake to shift into reverse, neutral, or drive. According to a statement from Ford, the affected Rangers may have faulty PRNDL bezel wiring that can interfere with the feature. The company reported that it isn't aware of any accidents or injuries sustained from this issue and appears to be acting swiftly to correct the problem. Customers of affected vehicles are urged to visit their local Ford dealership where service personnel will perform a check to determine if the shifter interlock override feature is functional and, if necessary, repair or replace the faulty wiring to ensure that the system works as intended. For more information about these and other recalls, consumers can utilize the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's online recall lookup tool or Ford's own online tool. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>The 2019 Ford Ranger is undoubtedly one of the new model year's most hotly anticipated new trucks. But just as the first wave of these new midsize pickups are arriving at dealers, the model is already finding itself under recall for a potential shifter interlock problem. Ford announced Wednesday that the wiring from the truck's PRNDL shifter bezel (which displays what gear the transmission is in) could prevent the shifter interlock override from operating properly. As a result, it may be able to shift the automatic transmission "out of park with the vehicle off and without a foot on the brake pedal." While Ford doesn't spell it out, that means the vehicle could be inadvertently left in neutral, creating a rollaway risk. The recall campaign covers around 3,500 Ranger pickups in North America, including around 3,000 units in the US and a further 500 in Canada. Beyond the fact that Ford says it's unaware of any accidents or injuries as a result of this potential issue, the good news is that most of these new 2019 Rangers are likely still in transit or sitting on dealer lots. The company recently moved to a quarterly earnings report cycle, so it's hard to know exactly how many Rangers have been sold so far. Company officials recently disclosed that they were expecting to sell 1,200 trucks in January, however. The word came amid news that Ford is already swamped with early demand for its new truck, and is responding by ratcheting up overtime shifts at its Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne. According to Ford, dealer techs will inspect the shifter interlock and see if it's capable of moving the lever out of park with the engine turned off and a foot on the brake. If that condition is observed, service techs will determine if there's any wiring interference. If so, they'll relocate the wires and retest, all at no cost to the customer. Affected models were built between June 4, 2018 and Jan. 9, 2019. Having a recall this early into a production run isn't unprecedented, but it is a black eye for an important new model for the Blue Oval. Fortunately, it sounds like it was caught early. Now playing: Watch this: Midsize king: The 2019 Ford Ranger 2019 Ford Ranger review: A midsize truck champ. Ford news: All the latest from Dearborn.<doc-sep>
Ford Motor Co. recalled 3,500 brand-new Ranger midsize pickups because of wiring that may prevent the vehicle from locking in park, and then allowing the driver to shift out of park with the vehicle off. The 2019 Ranger went on sale last month and, company officials have said, has proved immediately popular. At issue, the company said in its safety compliance alert, is "shifter interlock functionality." Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the situation. "In the affected vehicles, the PRNDL bezel wiring may interfere with the shifter interlock override, preventing the shifter from locking in the park position and allowing the driver to shift the transmission out of park with the vehicle off and without a foot on the brake pedal," Ford said in its statement. The recall affects approximately 3,500 Rangers in North America, including approximately 3,000 in the U.S. and 500 in Canada. All were built at Michigan Assembly Plant from June 4 to Jan. 9. More:Ford Ranger demand means 'massive overtime' to boost production More:How Ford and the UAW cut a deal to bring Ranger back to the U.S. More:All-new Ford Ranger touts fuel economy of 23 mpg Dealers will verify that the shifter interlock works by attempting to move the shifter out of park with the vehicle off and without a foot on the brake pedal, Ford said. If the shifter moves out of park, dealers will look for wiring interference, relocate the wiring and retest. Ford's new Ranger, which is the No. 2 bestseller in the segment globally but has not been sold in the U.S. in recent years, is so popular that the company is planning factory overtime to meet demand. Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: phoward@freepress.com or 313-222-6512. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid