Recall Alert: The Ford Bronco Has a Child Lock Issue
It’s the summer of recalls, and the Ford Bronco isn’t excluded from the party. Over 50,000 2021 – 2022 Ford Bronco models are facing a recall due to malfunctioning. Children in the rear may face an increased risk of injury.
2021 – 2022 Ford Bronco recall for child locks
Watch out if you own a 2021 or 2022 Ford Bronco model with four doors. Your child’s safety could potentially be compromised. The child locks on the passenger doors may malfunction. This issue is primarily found on the right-side passenger door.
According to Cars.com, over 53,103 Ford Bronco models need to go in for maintenance to correct this issue. The child lock problem was first noticed back in March. Reports from the assembly line noted that rear doors could be opened when the child safety lock is set to on.
This caused the Ford Critical Concern Review Group (CCRG) to get involved. The first step led to each vehicle being quarantined for an investigation. Over 1.5 percent of vehicles seemed to have this issue, and now over two percent of all models could be affected.
What is the Bronco child lock issue?
The CCRG thought the lock supplier was at fault for the malfunctioning child locks in the 2022 Ford Bronco models. But then they discovered that the locks function properly before being installed, so that was a dad end.
But Ford didn’t give up. Later in May, investigators found that the door latch attachment hole locations were off. This is because the right-side door sheet metals were out of design spec due to manufacturing tolerance expansion.
This was causing the latch housing and frame plate to deform while attached. As a result, child locks started to malfunction.
Ford was able to catch this issue before reports about this safety concern came in from the field. If a child can open a vehicle door while in motion, the risk of injury is greatly increased.
What to do if your Ford Bronco is at risk
Owners of 2021 and 2022 Ford Bronco models at risk will start being notified about this problem by July 25. Ford will also provide documentation for parents so they can see if their child locks are working.
If you have any questions, you can contact Ford at 866-436-7332. The Ford recall number for this issue is 22S44.
You can also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at 888-327-4236 or visit its site here to enter your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
If your Bronco is at risk, you will need to visit a Ford dealership for maintenance. A local place will be fine. You don’t need to go to the same site where you purchased your Ford Bronco.
The child locks will be inspected and replaced if necessary at no cost to owners. We’re currently unaware of how long this process will take. That’s why we recommend scheduling an appointment in advance over the phone or online.
Luckily this isn’t a significant issue to correct. You should have a new child lock in no time. We will be on the lookout for more potential problems.
