# NHTSA recall 21V537000

A recall listed here may apply to a vehicle of this year, make and model. Only the manufacturer can say whether it applies to one vehicle: check the VIN with the official lookups.

- Published by: NHTSA \(United States\)
- Campaign number: 21V537000
- Manufacturer's number: 21S32
- Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
- Reported: 2021\-07\-15
- Owners notified: 2022\-03\-16
- Component: SUSPENSION:REAR
- Units potentially affected: 631176
- Part numbers: DB5Z\-5B759\-B Left Rear Knuckle and DB5Z\-5B758\-B Right Rear Knuckle

## What is wrong

Ford Motor Company \(Ford\) is recalling certain 2013\-2017 Explorer vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.  Exposure to road salt can cause the cross\-axis ball joint to corrode and seize, resulting in a fracture of the outboard section of the rear suspension toe link.


## What can happen

A rear toe\-link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.


## The remedy

Dealers will inspect and replace as necessary, the cross\-axis ball joint \(CABJ\) knuckle, and replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge.  This recall is an expansion of previous NHTSA recall numbers 16V\-245, 19V\-435, and 20V\-675.  Certain vehicles previously repaired will need to return for the new remedy.  An interim notification letter notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on September 10, 2021.  Owner notification letters were mailed on March 16, 2022.  Owners may contact Ford's customer service at 1\-866\-436\-7332.  Ford's number for this recall is 21S32.


## Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1\-888\-327\-4236 \(TTY 1\-800\-424\-9153\), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.


## Remedy progress the manufacturer reported

- Report: Annual report 2, for 2025 quarter 1 to 2025 quarter 4
- Filed with NHTSA: 2026\-01\-13
- Vehicles in the campaign: 631176
- Reported remedied: 421511 \(66%\)
- Reported unreachable: 11911
- Reported removed: 101

These are the manufacturer's totals for the whole campaign at the end of 2025 quarter 4, as filed with NHTSA. They do not say whether one vehicle has been remedied: check the VIN with the official lookups. The reports are from data as of 2026\-10\-19.

## Vehicles this campaign lists

- [2013 FORD EXPLORER](/makes/ford/explorer/2013/recalls.md)
- [2014 FORD EXPLORER](/makes/ford/explorer/2014/recalls.md)
- [2015 FORD EXPLORER](/makes/ford/explorer/2015/recalls.md)
- [2016 FORD EXPLORER](/makes/ford/explorer/2016/recalls.md)
- [2017 FORD EXPLORER](/makes/ford/explorer/2017/recalls.md)

## Bulletins for the same vehicles and component

A bulletin is the manufacturer's note to its dealers. It is not part of this recall.

- [22N01 S1](/bulletins/10232579.md), 2023-03-06, Service bulletin
- [21R02](/bulletins/10226952.md), 2022-12-02, Service bulletin
- [21R01](/bulletins/10226951.md), 2022-12-02, Service bulletin
- [22N01](/bulletins/10208271.md), 2022-02-24, Service bulletin
- [21B14](/bulletins/10189760.md), 2021-04-03, Service bulletin
- [21B14\-S1](/bulletins/10189755.md), 2021-04-03, Service bulletin
- [SSM 48876](/bulletins/10176938.md), 2020-07-07, Service bulletin
- [DOR\-J9K8E\-10](/bulletins/10166446.md), 2019-10-21, Service bulletin
- [17G01\-S2](/bulletins/10144953.md), 2018-09-24, Service bulletin
- [17G01\-S1](/bulletins/10140336.md), 2018-06-11, Service bulletin

## Check a VIN

- [NHTSA recall lookup by VIN, United States](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls)
- [Transport Canada recall search, Canada](https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/7/VRDB-BDRV/search-recherche/menu.aspx?lang=eng)

JSON: [/v1/recalls/nhtsa/21V537000](/v1/recalls/nhtsa/21V537000)

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