Ford Recalls 1.4 Million Cars Due to Steering Wheels Detaching

Under pressure from U.S. regulators, Ford is recalling nearly 1.4 million midsize cars in North America because the steering wheels can detach from the steering column and drivers could lose control.

The recall affects certain Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ cars from the 2014 through 2018 model years.

The auto company says steering wheel bolts can loosen over time and that it knows of two crashes and one injury caused by the problem.

Owners of the affected cars will be notified by mail the week of April 30, which is also when necessary parts to fix the problem are expected to be available for dealers. Dealers will replace the bolts with longer ones that have more aggressive threads and a nylon patch to stop them from coming loose.

Just over 1.3 million cars in the United States are being recalled, with the rest in Canada and Mexico.

The news comes five months after the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into steering wheels falling off of Fusions from the 2014 through 2016 model years. The agency said it began the probe after receiving three complaints, including one from a Georgia driver who reported the steering wheel in 2015 Fusion fell into their lap when turning into a gas station, according to USA Today.

“The steering became a little wobbly over the past two weeks and on Saturday while driving to Athens, I went to turn in gas station and the steering wheel fell off in my lap,” the motorist said.

Two other harrowing stories were reported to the NHTSA about the steering wheels that became inoperative on the highway.

“While driving on (the) interstate, steering wheel came loose and car veered off interstate. I regained control but steering wheel is still loose. Repairs will cost beyond my means at this moment,” a driver in Harriman, Tennessee reported Tuesday.

A Lake Island, Illinois driver, in a statement to NHTSA in November, wrote, “While driving approximately 55 (miles per hour), the steering wheel turned 360 degrees independently without warning. In addition, the steering wheel detached from the vehicle.”

The recall adds to Ford’s mounting quality issues. The company recently has been plagued by a separate issue of door-latch recalls — doors that could fly open when cars make a turn — that affected several million vehicles and cost more than $600 million.

The recall covers the 2014 through 2017 Fusion made at Ford’s Flat Rock, Mich., plant from Aug. 6, 2013, through Feb. 29, 2016; 2014 through 2018 Fusions made at Ford’s Hermosillo, Mexico, plant from July 25, 2013, through March 5, 2018; and 2014 through 2018 Lincoln MKZs made at the Hermosillo, Mexico, plant from July 25, 2013, through March 5, 2018.

Ford isn’t the only manufacturer experiencing steering wheel recall woes. In February, Hyundai recalled 43,900 vehicles that were at risk of the steering wheel breaking away from the steering column. That recall affected the 2018 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport SUVs.