Ford to recall over 4.3 mln light trucks, SUVs due to software flaw

Ford Motor is recalling over 4.3 million light trucks and SUVs due to a software vulnerability that could result in malfunction of stop lamps, turn signal indicators, and brakes.

According to Reuters, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) filed a safety recall report last Friday, noting the large-scale recall will be carried out in March.

The issue involves a software error that may cause the vehicle's Integrated Trailer Module (ITRM) to lose communication when towing a trailer. This could result in the loss of brake lights and turn signals, or potentially impair braking function, according to the document.

The recall affects seven models produced between 2021 and 2026, including the F-150, 2022–2026 F-250 Super Duty, Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, Maverick, as well as certain Ranger and E-Transit vehicles.

Owners can check starting March 17 whether their vehicles are included in the recall. Ford said the problem will be fixed through an over-the-air software update.

Ford first detected the software issue during an internal review last October but initially deemed the risk manageable. In December, NHTSA concluded the defect violated federal safety standards. The automaker reopened its investigation in January and in February confirmed more than 400 related warranty claims and customer reports. Yet Ford said it has received no reports of crashes linked to the defect.

It is unfair, unreasonable and unfeasible to demand China to join nuclear disarmament negotiations with Russia and the United States at the current stage, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning at a press briefing in Beijing on Friday.

She made the statement in response to a media query on U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's Thursday remarks on this issue.

"China has made its position clear on this matter on multiple occasions. As a country with a massive nuclear arsenal, the United States bears a special and primary responsibility to earnestly advance nuclear disarmament, which represents the broad consensus of the international community. China's nuclear forces are not in the same league as those of the U.S. and Russia. At the current stage, it is unfair, unreasonable, and unfeasible to demand China participate in so-called trilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations among China, the U.S., and Russia," she said.