David J. Johnson
Director
Service Engineering Operations
Ford Customer Service Division

Ford Motor Company
P. O. Box 1904
Dearborn, Michigan 48121

March 8, 2021

TO:

All U.S. Ford and Lincoln Dealers

SUBJECT:

Customer Satisfaction Program 21B14
Certain 2013 through 2017 Model Year Explorer and Police Interceptor Utility Vehicles
that are Registered or Sold in Certain States/Provinces
Rear Toe Link Ball Joint Inspection

PROGRAM TERMS
This program will be in effect through June 30, 2021. There is no mileage limit for this program.
URGENCY / EXPIRATION DATE
This Customer Satisfaction Program has an expiration date of June 30, 2021 to encourage dealers
and customers to have this service performed as soon as possible.
We recommend dealers utilize their FSA VIN Lists name and address on April 1, 2021 to contact
customers with affected vehicles.
AFFECTED VEHICLES
Vehicle

Model Year

Assembly Plant

Build Dates

Explorer (including Police
Interceptor Utility)

2013-2017

Chicago

September 4, 2012
through January 24, 2017

Affected vehicles are identified in OASIS and FSA VIN Lists.
REASON FOR THIS PROGRAM
This program is a proactive investigation by Ford Motor Company to obtain field data and parts for
testing. Ford is voluntarily conducting this program to inspect the toe link ball joint and, if necessary,
replace both rear toe links and wheel knuckles on vehicles always registered and always residing in
the Nashville (and Calgary) area. The replacement toe links and knuckles being installed contain no
enhancements and are identical to the parts being removed. It is very important that any parts
obtained from this program be returned to Ford for this study.
SERVICE ACTION
Dealers are to check both toe link ball joints integrity and, if necessary, replace the rear wheel
knuckle(s), and adjust rear toe. This service must be performed on all affected vehicles at no charge
to the vehicle owner.
OWNER NOTIFICATION MAILING SCHEDULE
Owner letters are expected to be mailed the week of March 22, 2021. Dealers should repair any
affected vehicles that arrive at their dealerships, whether or not the customer has received a letter.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment I:
Administrative Information
Attachment II:
Labor Allowances and Parts Ordering Information
Attachment III:
Technical Information
Owner Notification Letter
 Copyright 2021 Ford Motor Company

QUESTIONS & ASSISTANCE
For questions and assistance, contact the Special Service Support Center (SSSC) via the SSSC Web
Contact Site. The SSSC Web Contact Site can be accessed through the Professional Technician
System (PTS) website using the SSSC link listed at the bottom of the OASIS VIN report screen or
listed under the SSSC tab.
Sincerely,

David J. Johnson

 Copyright 2021 Ford Motor Company

ATTACHMENT I
Page 1 of 2
Customer Satisfaction Program 21B14
Certain 2013 through 2017 Model Year Explorer and Police Interceptor Utility Vehicles that are
Registered or Sold in Certain States/Provinces
Rear Toe Link Ball Joint Inspection
OASIS ACTIVATION
OASIS will be activated on March 8, 2021.
FSA VIN LISTS ACTIVATION
FSA VIN Lists will be available through https://web.fsavinlists.dealerconnection.com on March 8,
2021. Owner names and addresses will be available by April 1, 2021.
NOTE: Your FSA VIN Lists may contain owner names and addresses obtained from motor vehicle
registration records. The use of such motor vehicle registration data for any purpose other than in
connection with this program is a violation of law in several states, provinces, and countries.
Accordingly, you must limit the use of this listing to the follow-up necessary to complete this service
action.
SOLD VEHICLES
• Owners of affected vehicles will be directed to dealers for repairs.
• Immediately contact any of your affected customers whose vehicles are not on your VIN list
but are identified in OASIS. Give the customer a copy of the Owner Notification Letter (when
available) and schedule a service date.
• Correct other affected vehicles identified in OASIS which are brought to your dealership.
• Dealers are to prioritize repairs of customer vehicles over repairs of new and used vehicle
inventory.
STOCK VEHICLES
• Correct all affected units in your new vehicle inventory before delivery.
• Use OASIS to identify any affected vehicles in your used vehicle inventory.
TITLE BRANDED / SALVAGED VEHICLES
Affected title branded and salvaged vehicles are eligible for this service action.
OWNER REFUNDS
• Ford Motor Company is offering a refund for owner-paid repairs covered by this program if the
repair was performed before the date of the Owner Notification Letter. This refund offer expires
June 30, 2021.
• Dealers are also pre-approved to refund owner-paid emergency repairs that were performed
away from an authorized servicing dealer after the date of the Owner Notification Letter. Noncovered repairs, or those judged by Ford to be excessive, will not be reimbursed.
• Refunds will only be provided for the cost associated with rear suspension toe link
replacement due to fracture or rear wheel knuckle replacement due to a seized toe link ball
joint.

 Copyright 2021 Ford Motor Company

ATTACHMENT I
Page 2 of 2
Customer Satisfaction Program 21B14
Certain 2013 through 2017 Model Year Explorer and Police Interceptor Utility Vehicles that are
Registered or Sold in Certain States/Provinces
Rear Toe Link Ball Joint Inspection
RENTAL VEHICLES
Dealers are pre-approved for up to 1 day for a rental vehicle. Follow Extended Service Plan (ESP)
guidelines for dollar amounts. Rentals will only be reimbursed for the day(s) the vehicle is at the
dealership for part replacement. Prior approval for more than 1 rental day is required from the SSSC.
Contact the SSSC via the SSSC Web Contact Site for consideration and approval if appropriate.
ADDITIONAL REPAIR (LABOR TIME AND/OR PARTS)
Additional repairs identified as necessary to complete the FSA should be managed as follows:
• For related damage and access time requirements, refer to the Warranty and Policy Manual /
Section 6 – Ford & Lincoln Program Policies / General Information & Special Circumstances
for FSA’s / Related Damage.
• For vehicles within new vehicle bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage, no SSSC approval is
required, although related damage must be on a separate repair line with the “Related
Damage” radio button checked.
o Ford vehicles – 3 years or 36,000 miles
• For vehicles outside new vehicle bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage, submit an Approval
Request to the SSSC Web Contact Site prior to completing the repair.
CLAIMS PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION
• Claim Entry: Enter claims using Dealer Management System (DMS) or One Warranty
Solution (OWS) online.
o When entering claims:
 Claim type 31: Field Service Action. The FSA number 21B14 is the sub code.
o For additional claims preparation and submission information, refer to the Recall and
Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP) Repairs in the OWS User Guide.
• Related Damage/Additional labor and/or parts: Must be claimed as Related Damage on a
separate repair line from the FSA with same claim type and sub code as described in Claim
Entry above.
IMPORTANT: Click the Related Damage Indicator radio button.
• Rentals: For rental vehicle claiming, follow Extended Service Plan (ESP) guidelines for dollar
amounts. Enter the total amount of the rental expense under Miscellaneous Expense code
RENTAL.
• Refunds: Submit refunds on a separate repair line.
- Program Code: 21B14
- Misc. Expense: ADMIN
- Misc. Expense: REFUND
- Misc. Expense: 0.2 Hrs.
o Multiple refunds should be submitted on one repair line and the invoice details for each
repair should be detailed in the comments section of the claim.

 Copyright 2021 Ford Motor Company

ATTACHMENT II
Page 1 of 3
Customer Satisfaction Program 21B14
Certain 2013 through 2017 Model Year Explorer and Police Interceptor Utility Vehicles that are
Registered or Sold in Certain States/Provinces
Rear Toe Link Ball Joint Inspection
LABOR ALLOWANCES
Description

Labor Operation

Labor Time

Check toe link ball joints torque (both pass), replace toe link
outer bolts. (Alignment is NOT Required)

21B14B

0.7 Hours

Check toe link ball joints torque, replace one (1) rear
suspension toe link, and replace one (1) wheel knuckle –
AWD

21B14C

1.8 Hours

Check toe link ball joints torque, replace both rear
suspension toe links, and replace two (2) wheel knuckles –
AWD

21B14D

2.9 Hours

Check toe link ball joints torque, replace one (1) rear
suspension toe link, and replace one (1) wheel knuckle –
FWD

21B14E

1.6 Hours

Check toe link ball joints torque, replace both rear
suspension toe links, and replace two (2) wheel knuckles –
FWD

21B14F

2.5 Hours

Check alignment and, if necessary, adjust rear toe

21B14G

0.6 Hours

PARTS REQUIREMENTS / ORDERING INFORMATION

SSSC Web Contact Site:

To place an order for Toe Link Nuts and Bolts submit a VIN-specific Part Order contact via the SSSC
Web Contact Site.
Part Number

Description

Parts Required if Both Toe Link Ball Joints Pass
Toe Link Bolt (1 bolt per side,
-W715419-S439
4 Bolts in each package)
-W520516-S441
Toe Link Nut (1 nut per side)

Engine

AWD/
FWD

Order
Quantity

Claim
Quantity

All

All

1

2

All

All

2

2

NOTE: If an emergency repair is required and parts are not available, contact the SSSC via the SSSC
Web Contact Site, please be prepared to provide P&A Code and VIN.
Dealers will be notified via a DOES II communication if circumstances warrant a change in part supply
strategy and when open ordering resumes.

 Copyright 2021 Ford Motor Company

ATTACHMENT II
Page 2 of 3
Customer Satisfaction Program 21B14
Certain 2013 through 2017 Model Year Explorer and Police Interceptor Utility Vehicles that are
Registered or Sold in Certain States/Provinces
Rear Toe Link Ball Joint Inspection

Order the parts below through normal order processing channels:
Parts Required if a Toe Link Ball Joint Fails
Part Number

Description

DB5Z-5A972-J

Rear Toe Link Kit – See
affected Engine and
AWD/FWD detail

DB5Z-5A972-K

Rear Toe Link Kit – See
affected Engine and
AWD/FWD detail

Engine
3.5L TiVCT
3.5L GTDI