Ford recalls 741,000 vehicles over transmission park system defectFord is recalling 741,195 vehicles in the U.S. after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found a transmission defect that can damage the park system and cause vehicles to roll away, according to Reuters.The recall covers certain 2018-2021 Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, 2020-2021 Ford Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and 2021 F-150 vehicles, the NHTSA said.According to the NHTSA report, the defect involves the transmission parking pawl momentarily engaging during certain commanded gear shifts, a sequence of events that can inflict damage on park system components. Should those components fail, a vehicle placed in park without the parking brake applied could move unintentionally, creating conditions that elevate crash and injury risk. Tied to the defect, the automaker has received reports of 24 property-damage claims and nine injury allegations, including two that center on emotional distress, according to the NHTSA.AdvertisementAdvertisementFord will mail notification letters to affected owners; the remedy consists of a free dealership visit during which technicians flash the Powertrain Control Module with updated software and examine the transmission, swapping out any park-system parts found to be compromised. Questions can be directed to Ford's customer service line at 1-866-436-7332 or to the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.A second Ford action covers 36,046 Bronco models, where wheel-arch fender flares are at risk of coming loose at highway speeds and falling onto the road, Reuters reported. Under that recall, dealerships will examine each vehicle's fender flares and either fix or swap them out, with no charge to the customer.The transmission recall adds to a pattern of recent Ford safety actions. The company recalled about 1.4 million F-150 trucks earlier this year over unexpected downshifts linked to a degraded transmission range sensor, also addressed through a powertrain control module software update. Ford also recalled about 420,000 Expedition and Navigator SUVs in June over a seat belt pretensioner fault that could prevent belts from moving freely in a collision.Despite a broad quality overhaul that Ford says has already produced hundreds of millions of dollars in reduced warranty and recall costs, the company remains the most recalled automaker in the U.S. Ford COO Kumar Galhotra has described the elevated recall figures as a trailing measure of quality rather than a current one, arguing that as vehicles built under newer processes make up a larger share of the fleet, the numbers should improve.