Ford tells owners of 39,000 SUVs to park outside after 16 vehicles caught fire

• Ford advised owners of 2021 Lincoln Navigators and Ford Expeditions to park outside.
• Ford knows of 16 fires that sparked while vehicles were moving or parked.

Ford warned owners of 2021 Lincoln Navigator and Ford Expedition SUVs to park outside and away from their homes due to a fire risk.

The company is aware of 16 vehicle fires, 14 of which involved rental cars, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Most of the fires happened in vehicles that were parked and switched off, but some drivers reported smelling smoke coming from the engine compartment while driving, according to Ford's recall notice.

The recall affects roughly 32,000 Expeditions and roughly 7,000 Navigators. Ford said it's investigating the cause of the problem. Customers can determine if their vehicle is included in the recall through NHTSA's website.

In February, Kia and Hyundai recommended that nearly 500,000 of their customers park their cars outside due to a braking-system defect that could lead to fires.