Topline
Ford issued a recall Wednesday for more than 115,000 vehicles installed with a steering column that may detach, which auto regulators said could increase the risk of a crash, adding to a record-breaking series of safety notices filed by Ford this year.
The recall covers some F-250, F-350 and F-450 vehicles manufactured between February 2019 and September 2020, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration filing.
Ford has issued 115 safety recalls this year, including Wednesday’s notice, the most by any automaker through a full year and ahead of Chrysler (33), Forest River (18) and Volkswagen (20) for recalls this year, according to NHTSA data.
The vehicles are installed with a defective steering column, the part that connects the steering wheel to the car’s steering system, which may suddenly detach, increasing the risk of a crash, Ford disclosed.
Ford was notified about the defect in June, and later determined the steering column failed to meet regulatory standards for the amount of force required to pull apart the component.
Ford said it was aware of at least four customer reports and seven warranty claims potentially related to the issue as of Sept. 11, though the automaker noted it was not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the defect.
About 9.5 million. That’s the number of vehicles recalled by Ford this year, according to NHTSA data.
Ford dealers were notified about the recall on Tuesday, while affected car owners are expected to be alerted by Oct. 10, according to Ford’s disclosure. A fix is expected to be ready by December, the NHTSA said, and Ford dealers will repair or replace the defective part if needed for free.
Several notices have been issued by Ford in recent months, with recalls covering as few as one vehicle to more than 1.4 million. The automaker pulled 1.45 million vehicles earlier this month, including a slew of Ford Edges, Ford Transit, Lincoln Navigators and Lincoln MKCs, among other models, for an issue with rearview cameras that may result in “blank, distorted or inverted” images as drivers reverse. In July, Ford recalled more than 850,000 Ford and Lincoln vehicles for a fuel pump issue, and in August, the automaker recalled 355,000 trucks for issues with their instrument panel, causing them to potentially fail at startup and not display information like fuel level and speed. Again in August, Ford pulled about 500,000 SUVs, including some Lincoln MKX and Ford Edge models, for a brake hose issue.