Ford recalls 1.4 million cars for steering wheel falling off

Ford has issued a recall for a potential steering wheel malfunction issue in some of its cars in North America. It was also revealed that the company is aware of two incidences related to this, one of which lead to injuries.

The recall consists of 2014-18 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured in Ford's Flat Rock, Michigan and Hermosillo, Mexico assembly plants. The total number of units recalled is 13,78,637 out of which, 13,01,986 cars were sold in USA, 62,479 in Canada and 14,172 in Mexico. The steering wheel bolts of the affected cars could loosen up in certain cases leading to the steering wheel coming off, causing a loss of control of the vehicle and thereby leading to an accident.

As part of the recall, Ford has instructed its dealers to replace the affected bolts with longer and better-threaded bolts. The nylon patch on the replacement bolts is also larger, helping in better torque retention. The repair will be done at no extra of cost to the owners.

Ford is also recalling 6,000 Focus and Fusion models for a potential fire hazard due to a fractured clutch plate. The affected Focus models were made in the Michigan plant between 2013-16 and come equipped with 1.0-liter Fox GTDI end and B6 manual gearbox. Meanwhile, the Fusion cars were made at the Mexican assembly plant from 2013-15 and come equipped with a 1.6-liter Sigma GTDI engine and B6 manual transmission.