Ford Motor Co. said Thursday that it is recalling nearly 15,000 2011 models vehicles over fire concerns. Separately, Chrysler Group LLC issued three new recalls for nearly 150,000 vehicles on the same day.
Ford said it is recalling 14,737 2011 F-150, F-250, F-350, F- 450, F-550, Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles after two unattended 2011 F-150 vehicles caught fire at the Dearborn Assembly Plant in recent weeks.
The automaker will inspect the Body Control Module that could be faulty and have an internal short. The suspect parts were produced during a six-day period by Lear Corp in Mexico, according to Detnews.
The company said if an electrical short develops in the part, " an overheating condition may occur, which can result in an unattended vehicle fire."
Chrysler is recalling 144,000 vehicles in three campaigns, raising its total for 2010 to more than 1.6 million vehicles.
The automaker said it is recalling 65,180 2009 Dodge Journey vehicles built over a 10-month period.
Wires within the front door harness may fatigue and break, which could interrupt the circuit resulting in an airbag warning lamp or the loss of side crashing sensing, which could result in the airbag not deploying in a crash, said the company.
The automaker said it is also recalling 56,611 2011 Ram 1500 trucks built since September 2009 because some may experience grinding sounds from the rear axle bearing, which could eventually seize and increase the risk of stalling or crashing.
The company said it will recall 22,274 2008-2011 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500 trucks that may experience a loss of steering, due to a weakening or cracking of a tie rod part.
The automaker will replace the left outer tie rod and will start notifying owners next month.
