Ford and Mazda recall Ranger and BT-50 twins

FORD and Mazda Australia has called back its Ranger and BT-50 pick-ups to fix a manufacturing fault that has led at least one local example of the Blue Oval’s chart-topping workhorse to catch fire.

The flaw deals with the area near the diesel particulate filter, which can collect grass and vegetation and can – under extreme cases – ignite due to the high temperatures of the exhaust system causing smoke and fire.

Around 59,254 Ranger vehicles are affected and were sold between July 12, 2016 and December 7, 2017, with Ford Australia contacting owners via mail once parts become available.

Mazda Australia on the other hand, will recall just under 17,000 customer cars, with affected vehicles were built from June 23, 2016 onwards.

In the interim however, both brands have relayed instructions on how customers can inspect their own vehicles to reduce the likelihood of a fire.

“While the likelihood of this situation arising is low, Ford is taking precautionary action to help prevent this situation from occurring as customer safety is the company’s top priority,” according to the Blue Oval brand.

“Ford is committed to providing its customers with vehicles of the highest quality and is committed to addressing potential issues and responding quickly to customers.”

Owners can also head to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission website to find a list of affected Ford vehicle identification numbers (VINs).

Ford’s Ranger is currently the second most-popular vehicle on the Australian market with 39,270 new registrations this year to the end of November, trailing the market-leading Toyota HiLux on 43,144.

Meanwhile, Mazda’s BT-50 has accumulated 13,095 sales combined 4x2 and 4x4 over the same period.