Ford is recalling roughly 45,000 cars over an issue with door latches that, when exposed to warm weather, may fail to latch.

The recall, which applies to certain 2015 Ford Fiestas, 2016 Ford Fusions and 2016 Lincoln KMZs, is an expansion of Ford’s 2020 recall of the same nature.

In a November 30 letter to Ford, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that a component inside the door latches may break, “which can make it difficult to latch, or possibly allow the doors to open while driving.”

The recall is limited to the following locations: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Drivers whose cars are impacted by the malfunction may notice the door failing to latch initially, or a “door ajar” indicator on the dashboard along with potentially increased wind noise.

In 2020, Ford recalled two million vehicles after it reported that the doors, even the ones that were repaired, may not have been fixed properly.

Vehicle recalls are relatively common. Earlier this year, the NHTSA catalogued vehicle recalls affecting 1.95 million Ford and Honda models. The recalls covered fragile windshield wipers, leaky brake fluid and seat belts that didn’t close properly. In November, Toyota recalled 1.85 million cars over a battery issue.

What to do

Ford said it will reach out to any newly impacted vehicle owners beginning the week of December 4. Owners can also contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332, or reach out to NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or visit the NHTSA website.

Ford’s number for this recall is 20S15.

If you’re vehicle is part of the recall, you can take it to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to inspect the door latch date codes, which will be replaced free of charge providing that they fall under the reported time frame.

Owners who previously paid out of pocket for repair may also be entitled to reimbursement.

To see if your car is impacted, either call the hotline or visit the NHTSA website and enter your VIN number.

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