If you own a 2015 Ford Fiesta, 2016 Fusion, or 2016 Lincoln MKZ, there’s a risk of the doors suddenly opening while on the move. The Blue Oval issued a recall affecting 45,173 of these vehicles to repair the problem. 

The problem is that the latch pawl spring tab can crack and eventually fail. If the piece breaks, then someone would need to make multiple attempts to close the door. If it shuts, the door could unlatch unexpectedly while driving. As a warning, motorists would see the “door ajar” light on.

The recall campaign only affects these vehicles currently or previously registered in warm-weather areas. Specifically, it covers: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Washington, in addition to Mexico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

Ford learned about this problem on August 16, 2023, after an issue with a 2016 Fusion. The automaker worked with the supplier to investigate the situation and identified the number of potentially faulty parts. As of October 18, 2023, there are 14 warrant claims and 39 vehicle owner questionnaire complaints about failing door latches or doors suddenly opening. There are no reports of injuries from this problem.

Ford believes that about one percent of the 45,173 vehicles are affected by the problem. To fix the issue, dealers inspect the door latch date codes to see if they’re from a specific time frame. If even one of them is from this period, the technicians would replace all four parts. The new pieces use a modified spring pawl tab that’s stronger than the original components.

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