The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation after receiving complaints that the doors can open on some Ford Escape SUVs while the vehicles are being driven.
The NHTSA said that it is looking at 346,000 SUVs from the 2020 and 2021 model years, The Associated Press reported.
So far the agency said it has received 118 complaints and discovered 25 injuries related to the issue.
There were no crashes and none of the injuries proved to be fatal according to the NHTSA’s documentation.
NHTSA Ford Escape by National Content Desk on Scribd
The NHTSA said the issue stems from spot welds in the door assembly bracket, specifically the check arm bracket in the front doors, which can fail.
Drivers said that they had heard a popping noise when they opened the door when the bracket began to come off the vehicle. If the door was continued to be used it could become dislodged and fail to latch.
Ford is working with the NHTSA to investigate the problem.
If it is determined that the issue causes an unreasonable risk to highway safety, the NHTSA may issue a recall, the AP reported.
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