Melrose blog

Ford recalls 281,000 F-150 trucks in U.S.

DETROIT (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co is recalling nearly 281,000 F-150 pickup trucks in the United States because of a potential problem with the door handles not working properly, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported on Thursday.

Model years 2009 and 2010 F-150 trucks produced from January 2008 to November 2009 are being recalled because in the event of a crash, "the door handle spring can fail causing the door latch to open," NHTSA said in a filing.

As of January 21, there had been no reported accidents or injuries related to this issue, Ford told NHTSA.

Ford said that customers will initially be asked to bring their F-150s to dealerships if any door handle is loose or fails to return to a stowed position.

Later, once replacement parts are available, owners will be asked to bring in their trucks for inspection at Ford or Lincoln dealerships, the filing said.

The F-150 is the primary model of the F-series of pickup trucks that have been for 34 straight years the best-selling vehicles in the U.S. market.

(Reporting by Bernie Woodall, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)