Ford Announces Major Recall of 1.4M Cars

By Ceylan Pumphrey, Esq. on March 16, 2018 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Under product liability laws, companies generally have a duty to protect consumers from potential dangers. That's why when a company discovers that there's a defect in one of their products, it issues a recall. While any type of product can be recalled for defects, it seems that the most common recalls involve food and cars.

The most recent recall involves cars made by Ford Motor Company. More specifically, Ford has issued a recall of 1.4 million vehicles in North America for steering wheel bolts that can potentially become loose.

Details of the Recall

Ford is recalling some of its cars because over time, the defect in the bolts "could lead to the wheel coming loose from the steering column." The cars being recalled are the 2014 to 2018 models of the Lincoln MKZ and the Ford Fusion. Ford said that it's aware of two accidents that are allegedly related to this particular issue.

One injury was reported from those two accidents. The recall affects cars across North America. More specifically, it affects approximately 1.3 million cars in the U.S., 14,200 cars in Mexico, and 62,500 cars in Canada. According to the company, Ford dealers are going to replace the faulty bolt with a longer, better threaded bolt to ensure that the steering wheel is secure. This replacement will be done free of charge.

In addition to the recall for the faulty bolts, Ford has also recalled approximately 5,900 Ford Focuses (2013 to 2016 models) and Ford Fusions (2013 to 2015 models) for "potential risk of fire due to clutch pressure plate fracture." This recall affects about 515 cars in Canada and 5,350 cars in the U.S. To fix this issue, Ford dealers will update the software in the vehicles to detect and prevent the fracture, and install a new clutch assembly. This service will also be done without any cost to the vehicle owner. On a positive note, Ford said that it wasn't aware of any accidents or fires associated with this particular issue.

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