Ford, Mazda announce recalls of thousands of vehicles

Ford Motor Co. says it is adding about 1.5 million cars, SUVs and vans to a North American recall  to fix door latches that could pop open when the vehicle is in operation.

Ford said the move expands the total recall this year to nearly 2.4 million vehicles in Canada, the United States and Mexico. The company said 233,034 of the recalled vehicles are in Canada.

The automaker said affected vehicles in the latest recall include:

• The 2013-15 Ford C-MAX and Ford Escape.
• The 2012-15 Ford Focus.
• The 2015 Ford Mustang and Lincoln MKC.
• The 2014-16 Ford Transit Connect.

Ford said it is aware of one accident and three reported injuries that may be related to the latch issue.The recall notice was issued at the request of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The automaker said a spring tab in the side-door latch could break, meaning the door either won't close or could pop open.

"A door that opens while driving increases the risk of injury," Ford said in a release.

Dealers will fix the part at no cost to the customer.

Ford has been dealing with the door-latch issue since 2014, resulting in the recall of at least three million vehicles.

Ford also reported that the recalls will cost it about $640 million US against its third-quarter pretax profits. The company has also trimmed its full-year pretax profit forecast to $10.2 billion in an earlier forecast of $10.8 billion.

Mazda hatch issue

Separately, Mazda is recalling 2.2 million cars and SUVs worldwide due to a corrosion issue that could cause the rear hatch to fall on people and injure them

Transport Canada says 183,808 vehicles in this country are covered under the recall. The following models are included in the recall:

• The 2016 CX-3.
• The 2013-2016 CX-5.
• The 2010-2013 Mazda3.
• The 2012-2016 Mazda5.

​"On certain vehicles, the anti-corrosion treatment of the outer tube of the rear lift gate stay may be insufficient," Transport Canada says on its website. "Over time, the outer tube of the rear lift gate stay may corrode and break off, which could increase the risk of injury."

Dealers will replace both rear door stays, the government department says. Customers will be notified in September or October when they should bring their vehicles in for repair.

The automaker said it has no reports of accidents or injuries caused by the problem.