Ford is recalling more than 59,000 Ranger utes warning they could catch fire if parked on dry grass.
The urgent recall of the popular models, sold between July 2016 and December this year, comes after nine of the vehicles made in Thailand caught fire in Australia.
Ford said the exhaust was in danger of catching fire ‘if sufficient grass or other combustible material has accumulated’.
Ford is recalling more than 59,000 Ranger utes sold since July 2016 (single cab pictured)
Ford is warning Ranger owners the exhaust could catch fire if parked on grass (dual cab 4×4 pictured)
‘They may be ignited by the exhaust system, causing smoke or flames to appear from under the vehicle,’ it said in a product recall on Monday night lodged through the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
A Ford Australia spokeswoman told News Corp there had been ‘two confirmed cases of vehicles being written off’ because of fire since December 2016 and ‘seven confirmed cases of smoke or fires which have resulted in minimal damage’.
A derivative of the Ford Ranger, the Everest SUV, caught on fire in December 2015 during a test drive by a News Corp journalist.
Ford later blamed a loose battery connection but didn’t issue a recall two years ago.
The Ranger range (single cab two-wheel drive pictured) is popular with Australian motorists
The Ranger (dual cab 4×4 XLS model pictured) was Australia’s second top-selling car in November
The Everest is made on the same production line as the Ranger, which is based on the Mazda BT50.
The Ranger was Australia’s top-selling ute in September, outselling the Toyota Hilux by almost 500 units in that month with 4,318 of them leaving showrooms.
It was Australia’s second most popular vehicle in November, outsold only by the Hilux and putting it ahead of the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3.
Ford is writing to 59,254 Ranger owners urging them to pay special attention to the engine stopping and starting and the catalytic converter.
It affects two and four-wheel drive versions, with petrol and diesel engines.