rmc523 Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 (edited) https://www.autoblog.com/2018/03/14/ford-recall-fusion-mkz-steering-wheel/ When driving a car, the steering wheel is only expected to move in a rotational fashion, either clockwise or counter-clockwise. When it moves in some other direction, something is wrong, and when it moves the wrong way enough that it is no longer attached to the steering column, that's a really, really bad thing. And apparently, according to a recall issued by Ford, there are over 1.3 million Ford Fusions and Lincoln MKZsthat are at risk of this happening. And at least two accidents and one injury have been attributed to the issue.Ford says the problem is that the steering wheel bolt that keeps the wheel attached to the column might not provide enough torque, resulting in the bolt slowly loosening and working its way off the column. The good news is that the fix is really simple. Ford will install a larger bolt with more threads along with a larger nylon patch to keep it all locked down. The fix is completely free to owners.Cars affected by the recall include 2014 to 2017 Fusions built built at the Flat Rock plant in Michigan between August 6, 2013, and February 29, 2016. Model year 2014-2018 Fusions and MKZs built at the Hermosillo factory in Mexico are also affected. So if you have one of those sedans, please get in touch with your local dealer to have the issue addressed. Fuzzy did you forget to tighten the steering wheels when you were there? (Yes, I know you installed doors) Interesting that it affected both factories (Flat Rock and Hermosillo). I really hope one of Hackett's directives is to get quality under control - the recalls and whatnot lately have been ridiculous, and can't help the bottom line. Edited March 14, 2018 by rmc523 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Interesting that it affected both factories (Flat Rock and Hermosillo). If they are using the same supplier of parts, its not that surprising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted March 14, 2018 Author Share Posted March 14, 2018 If they are using the same supplier of parts, its not that surprising. Oh, I guess it's the bolt itself, not how much (or how little) they were tightening it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Sounds like a part issue, not a factory error. The hits just keep on coming. My 2013 Fusion had a gas tank replacement, door latch replacement and a few other odds and ends. They really screwed the pooch when they went from the Mazda based CD3 which was bulletproof to the EUCD based CD4. I'm guessing this may also be driving the move to CD6. Escape has had similar issues on the euro based C platform since 2012. I know they need to get new products out the door but they have got to address these quality issues. It's really eating into profits and killing consumer satisfaction and confidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coupe3w Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Sounds like a part issue, not a factory error. The hits just keep on coming. My 2013 Fusion had a gas tank replacement, door latch replacement and a few other odds and ends. They really screwed the pooch when they went from the Mazda based CD3 which was bulletproof to the EUCD based CD4. I'm guessing this may also be driving the move to CD6. Escape has had similar issues on the euro based C platform since 2012. I know they need to get new products out the door but they have got to address these quality issues. It's really eating into profits and killing consumer satisfaction and confidence. Finally I agree with you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assimilator Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 This seems like a fairly simple design fault, they chose the wrong bolt and they have just a few instances among a million+ vehicles. It's amazing this doesn't happen all the time considering how complex a vehicle is. But it's a little surprising that this is a problem that still happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY93SHO Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/daily-news/110412-2011-chevrolet-cruze-recalled-for-detached-steering-wheel It happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/daily-news/110412-2011-chevrolet-cruze-recalled-for-detached-steering-wheel It happens. I remember them having that issue with the Saturn Ion around 2002ish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papilgee4evaeva Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Sounds like a part issue, not a factory error. The hits just keep on coming. My 2013 Fusion had a gas tank replacement, door latch replacement and a few other odds and ends. They really screwed the pooch when they went from the Mazda based CD3 which was bulletproof to the EUCD based CD4. I'm guessing this may also be driving the move to CD6. Escape has had similar issues on the euro based C platform since 2012. I know they need to get new products out the door but they have got to address these quality issues. It's really eating into profits and killing consumer satisfaction and confidence. We took my wife's car to the dealer for the door latch recall, and I asked them about the fuel tank issue. The service manager didn't have any information on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 The fuel tank issue only affected early builds and it caused you to not be able to put more than 12 gallons or so in a 16 gallon tank even when near empty. My replacement tank also had a clunking noise right after you filled up the tank. It wasn’t bad so I just let it go instead of trying to get another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papilgee4evaeva Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 ^ That's the exact problem we have, the tank not filling past 12 gallons. I assume the replacement campaign ended before we bought the car, but I'd be willing to pay to replace the tank if the price weren't crazy. Regarding the steering wheel bolts, they DID mention that to me even though we have a '13. So I find it interesting that this recall doesn't cover that year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordtech1 Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Although this sucks. There is no reason any customer should have an accident. The wheel loosenes up slowly. Any driver that doesnt feel slop in steering for weeks and doesnt address it. IMO its their fault as well. No difference than a tire that keeps leaking air and goes unattended. Rental cars may be different due to no one actually checks them out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 ^ That's the exact problem we have, the tank not filling past 12 gallons. I assume the replacement campaign ended before we bought the car, but I'd be willing to pay to replace the tank if the price weren't crazy. Regarding the steering wheel bolts, they DID mention that to me even though we have a '13. So I find it interesting that this recall doesn't cover that year. Here is the TSB but I don’t think it was ever a Recall so you’d have to pay or the replacement. I don’t think the tank is very expensive but it’s probably 2-3 hours labor at least. http://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/pubs/content/%7EWT/%7EMUS%7ELEN/3575/tsb13-06-03.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YT90SC Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 The 24 mm headed installed bolt is too damn short to where only 3 or so threads actually engage the upper steering shaft. That is compounded by the fact that the machine applied loc-tite doesn't start till that 3rd or 4th thread. The new torx headed bolt is nearly 3 times longer. So long, in fact, that it feels like you will bottom the bolt out before you get it torqued. It doesn't, but it sure seems ridiculously long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
probowler Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 (edited) It's actually not a design defect; Ford is actually experimenting with a new security measure based around removable steering wheels. Edited March 17, 2018 by probowler 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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