You may be wondering why we are even talking about the Ford E-Series vans. Hasn’t the Ford Transit replaced the E-Series as the commercial van workhorse? Yes, the E-Series chassis cab and cutaway vans are still for sale and will continue for the remainder of the decade. They are used by upfitters to make RVs and other specialized vehicles.
Ford issued a recall today for 72 Ford E-Series chassis cab and cutaways from the 2016 model year. The recall deals with a potential safety issue that has to do with the trailer brake controller. The controllers in the affected vans do not engage the trailer brakes when the driver presses on the brake pedal. However, the manual override still works.
Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this issue.
The affected vehicles include certain 2016 Ford E-Series cutaway and chassis cab vehicles built at the Ohio Assembly Plant, Nov. 3, 2014 through Sept. 1, 2015.
Dealers will update the powertrain control module software at no cost to the customer. Kudos to Ford for identifying this problem and issuing the fix, even if it is a small number of vans. It is another example of how important the trailer brake controller for safe towing. A malfunctioning trailer brake controller will cause longer stopping distances than the operator expects.
Check out the Ford Transit Skyliner luxury van concept.
