Ford Automotive Repair Manuals - Automotive Repair Manuals

Interesting Facts About Ford You Probably Don’t Know – Common Problems – and PDF Manuals for Download…

When Henry Ford and his associates founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903, none of them had any idea that it would become one of the best vehicle manufacturers in the United States of America.

The journey of this empire began in a small town workshop in Detroit in 1896 where Henry Ford built his first experimental car. This innovation grew and gave birth to the first successful Ford model known as ‘Model T’ in 1908.

The overwhelming popularity of this car drove the company to develop new mass production systems that would allow it to manufacture enough cars to meet the growing demand.

The company achieved a major milestone in 1911 when it established its first international manufacturing plant in Manchester, England. By the end of 1914, Ford Motors had produced and sold more than 500,000 cars all across the world.

This empire continued to blossom and by 1923, it was America’s leading producer of automobiles.

At the end of the 1920s, Ford Motors had cemented its position in the automobile industry as the most popular car manufacturer with over 20 assembly plants established in Canada, Europe, South Africa, Latin America, Asia and Australia.

Later on in 1922, Ford Motors bought Lincoln Motors Company which still produces the widely renowned luxury Continental and Lincoln vehicle models. This purchase boosted their profit margins tremendously allowing the company to grow and widen its international presence.

Between the years 1989 and 2000, Ford Motors acquired several vehicle manufacturing brands including Jaguar, Aston Martin, Volvo, Mazda and Land Rover and vehicle rental company Hertz Corporation.

The dominant Ford presence in different brands across the world improved their overall sales margins and popularity making them reach an all-time high.

However, the early 21^st Century did not favour the giant automakers like Chrysler LLC, General Motors Corporation and Ford Motors; causing them to suffer major loses over the period of 2001 and 2007. For this reason, Ford Motors sold most of their acquisitions in 2007.

Although the government tried to intervene to save the struggling auto industry giants, Ford opted out of the government aid and made major profits which increased its auto industry market share owing to its two major competitors filing for bankruptcy in 2009.

This move, coupled with other cost saving measures like sale of its holdings, saw Ford Motors maintain its dominance in the vehicle manufacturing industry and stay afloat for more than a century.

Common Ford Problems

Ford Motors has built a strong business ethic that focuses on hard work, risk taking and out-of-the-box engineering to create some of the best vehicle models in the market today. Just like any other product in the market, there are a few common problems that Ford vehicles face.

It is therefore important to have some general maintenance knowledge and a service repair manual at hand to act as a guide when fixing these problems.

Parking Brake Failure

In 2015, Ford Motors recalled hundreds of vehicles manufactured in May, including models like the Taurus, Flex and Lincoln Mkt due to a faulty parking brake that failed to fully engage when applied.

This essentially meant that if the vehicle did not engage the parking brake when on an unlevelled surface it may proceed to roll forward or backwards and cause an accident. Other than the fact that this was a clear non-compliance of the federal motor vehicle standards, it also posed a major health and safety risk to consumers and bystanders.

As per the vehicle repair manual, vehicle owners, operators and service men are required to test, consistently, the workings of the parking brake and replace the parking brake assembly immediately if found to be faulty.

Engine Overheating

The 2015 – 2016 Ford Lincoln Mkt model manufactured between November 2013 and January 2016 was discovered to have a fault in its engine assembly which caused it to consequently overheat. The 2.3 litre engine block heaters would occasionally overheat while plugged in causing an increased immediate risk of fire to the entire engine.

Vehicle dealers are required to inspect the engine block, electrical cords and coils and replace them if found to be faulty.

Faulty Ignition System

In a bizarre case where over 5 vehicles were recalled in 2015, it was found that the Ford Escape models would continue to run even after turning off the start/stop engine button or removing the ignition key. This became a real concern especially where theft protection was hindered and the risk of the vehicle rolling off was increased.

It is therefore required that all Ford dealers handling the identified model carry out an inspection and update the body control module software of the vehicle.

Door Lock Failure

An interestingly common problem amongst 2015, 2016 and 2017 Ford Focus models is the faulty hatchback locking mechanism that causes the latch to unlock unexpectedly or by a simple press of the interior latch release button.

This is extremely risky especially where the occupants include young children or pets that may play around with the button. In the event that the latch releases while in motion, not only might the occupants be thrown out of the moving vehicle if they are unbuckled, but the driver might cause an accident.

This fault requires a complete reprogramming of the body control module with an updates software.

Passenger Occupant Classification System Failure

Although uncommon in the other Ford models, the F-150 had 4 recalls of its 2016 models fitted with multi-contour seats following complaints from users that the front passenger seat occupant classification system did not correctly calibrate the deployment level of the airbag.

This essentially meant that if the seat massage feature was activated during an accident, the airbag would deploy without correctly classifying the passenger as an adult or child. This would cause increased injury to the occupant. All occupant classification system modules were updated with new software.

In conclusion, it is important for consumers to pay attention to the Ford vehicles every time they operate them, take vehicles for service and maintenance when due and make use of the service repair manual whenever necessary.

Purpose of this is to catalog and include one of most comprehensive, useful and accessible “automotive repair PDF manual” database on the web for all Ford models.

It’s your go-to source for learning all about Ford – when you can’t find it elsewhere.

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