Ford is recalling 650,000 vehicles. Toyota and Lexus are recalling 458,054

Every time you enter your vehicle, you’re taking a risk. If any hidden issues stop your car from operating correctly, you could get into a life-threatening accident. It’s essential to stay updated on the latest auto recalls: They reveal safety issues you might not even know you’re dealing with.

Not all recalls are indicative of a life-threatening issue, of course. But it’s always good to know what’s going on, just in case your car is a fire risk. Earlier this year, Hyundai and Kia recalled nearly 500,000 vehicles because they were at risk of spontaneously catching fire.

Those companies aren’t taking the spotlight in this article, though. There are a few urgent recalls you need to know about, starring Ford, Toyota and Lexus (in case you didn’t know, Toyota owns the Lexus brand). Here’s all you need to know to ensure your car isn’t putting your life in danger.

First, here’s the rundown on the Ford recall

This is a big deal. Ford recalled over 650,000 trucks over a rear axle bolt fracture issue. The rear axle mountain bolt may fracture and shift out of its proper position when you accelerate. This will cause severe noise and vibrations throughout your vehicle.

If you don’t know much about car anatomy, here’s a helpful illustration from Txt4Parts. It doesn’t depict the specific Ford car being recalled now, though. This is just an example of what a rear-drive axle looks like so you can get a more solid understanding of the issue.

A broken rear axle may lead to your driveshafts or half shafts disconnecting. It’s like a snowball that goes down a hill, growing larger and more dangerous. Once these shafts disconnect, your rear wheels may lose transmission torque. As a reminder, that feature is necessary for your vehicle to stay in park.

There’s a silver lining, though. Ford says it hasn’t been made aware of any injuries caused by this issue.

These are the affected vehicles:

• Select 2020-2022 Ford Explorer models built between Oct. 22, 2018, and Apr. 11, 2022, at the Ford Chicago Assembly Plant.
• If your car is one of those select models, you’ll hear from Ford by June 30.
• Don’t want to wait that long? Call Ford’s customer service line at 1-866-436-7332. The FoMoCo Recall number is 22S27, according to Ford’s website.

RELATED: 740K SUVs recalled – Check the list for yours

Second, here’s what you need to know about the Toyota and Lexus recall

Toyota and Lexus are recalling 458,054 vehicles due to big software issues. Affected vehicles have problems with stability control software. If you turn off stability control and then turn off the car, the car can’t turn it back on automatically.

This recall affects many models, including:

• Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
• Mirai
• RAV4 Prime
• Lexus LX
• NX Hybrid
• NX PHEV
• LS Hybrid
• Sienna
• Venza
• Toyota Highlander Hybrid

Toyota and Lexus plan to notify owners of affected vehicles by mail on or around May 16, 2022. If you want to get answers sooner rather than later, you can contact the customer service line. Reach the Toyota and Lexus Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.

Just make sure to reference these recall numbers:

• For Toyota: 22TA03
• For Lexus: 22LA01

Here’s another step you can take, whether you own a Ford, Toyota or Lexus

You can also visit NHTSA.gov/Recalls and search using your car’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). This will let you know if your vehicle is involved in any safety recalls.

That’s just one of many ways you can find out if your car or truck is under recall. Tap or click here for five ways to find out if your car has a recall.

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