WASHINGTON, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Ford said Wednesday

it is recalling nearly 1.45 million older vehicles in the

United States due to faulty rear-view cameras and will extend

warranty coverage on millions of other vehicles.

The announcement is the latest in a series of recalls over

the issue for the second largest U.S. automaker. Last month,

Ford recalled

1.9 million vehicles worldwide due

to faulty rear-view cameras.

The new recall comes after the National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration in January asked Ford about complaints of

camera failures, prompting the automaker to investigate.

Recalled vehicles may have cameras that have distorted,

intermittent or blank images when in reverse, increasing the

risk of a crash.

The recall covers various 2015 through 2020 model year Explorer,

Escape, Mustang, Flex, Fiesta, C-Max, Taurus, Fusion and Lincoln

MKT and MKZ vehicles. Dealers will inspect and replace cameras

as needed.

In September, NHTSA and Ford agreed on a plan to address

the population of all vehicles built between 2015 and 2025 with

analog cameras in two categories: some would be recalled and the

remainder would be covered by a level customer satisfaction

program that includes a 15-year extended warranty on rear

cameras.

Ford did not immediately say how many vehicles are covered

by the extended warranty but it includes more than two dozen

vehicle models including 2015-2020 F-150 trucks.

Ford told NHTSA it is aware of about 12,500 warranty claims

tied to camera issues as well as five accidents but no injuries.

In November 2024, Ford agreed to a $165 million civil

penalty after a NHTSA investigation found the automaker failed

to

recall vehicles with defective rear-view cameras in

a timely manner.

The automaker has been beset by a wave of recalls this year

for a range of defects, including backup-camera failures, faulty

low-pressure fuel pumps and problems with the seat-belt system.

Earlier this month, Ford recalled about 625,000 vehicles for

another rear-view camera issue as well as for a seatbelt issue.

Ford is not taking any new charge to account for the latest

recall.