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Backup camera issue leads to recall for nearly 383,000 Ford SUVs

Many of the SUVs were recalled for the same problem in 2021.
Credit: AP
FILE - Company logo shines off the grille of an unsold 2023 F-150 Lightning pickup truck Thursday, Nov. 25, 2022, outside a Ford dealership in southeast Denver.

DETROIT — Ford is recalling nearly 383,000 SUVs in the U.S. because the touch screens may not display a camera image when backing up.

The recall covers certain 2020 to 2023 Ford Explorers and Lincoln Aviators, and some 2020 to 2022 Lincoln Corsairs. All are equipped with 360-degree cameras.

Ford says in government documents posted Friday that the video output can fail, preventing the rear camera image from being displayed. That can reduce rear visibility and increase the risk of a crash.

The company says it has more than 2,000 warranty reports about the problem. It's aware of 17 minor crashes but no injuries.

Many of the same vehicles were recalled for the same problem in 2021. Vehicles that were repaired previously will have to be fixed again.

Dealers will update image processing software. Owners will be notified by letter starting Feb. 20.

Earlier this week, the U.S. government's road safety agency said it has closed a more than six-year investigation into exhaust odors in Ford Explorer passenger cabins, determining that the SUVs don't have high levels of carbon monoxide and don't need to be recalled.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it reviewed more than 6,500 consumer complaints, tested SUVs in the field and called in automotive, medical, environmental health and occupational safety experts before making the determination.

The probe covered nearly 1.5 million Explorers from the 2011 to 2017 model years and involved complaints of sickness and crashes that involved three deaths and alleged there were 657 injuries. Many complaints came from police departments that used Explorer Police Interceptors as patrol vehicles.

But the agency said in documents released Monday that it used rigorous test methods to send exhaust gas into vehicles. No Explorers with bodies that were sealed under a 2017 Ford field service campaign had carbon monoxide levels that were higher than Environmental Protection Agency limits.

The agency determined that sealing issues due to installation of sirens, lights, cages and other items were responsible for the highest measured carbon monoxide levels in vehicles it tested. The highest carbon monoxide levels in consumer vehicles were usually traced to sealing issues caused by repairs after rear crash damage, NHTSA said.

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