Ford Motor Company issued two new recalls Wednesday covering nearly 445,000 vehicles after receiving numerous complaint and incident reports, including at least four accidents related to loss of power steering and high underbody temperatures.
Ford announced today that it will recall 422,814 model year 2011 to 2013 Fusion, Flex and Lincoln MKS and MKT, model year 2011 to 2012 Lincoln MKZ and 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles for a possible electrical issue that can lead to steering difficulties.
The manufacturer says the issue – an intermittent electrical connection in the steering gear – can result in loss of electric power steering assist while driving.
If the loss of power steering occurs, the system defaults to manual steering mode making it difficult to steer and increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford says it is aware of four minor accidents, but no injuries as a result of the issue.
In a complaint posted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, the owner of a 2011 Ford Fusion says the power steering assist in their car has failed at least five times.
“Once while I was driving, which caused me to crash into a curb and get a flat tire,” the owner recalls. “It seems to resist itself after I turn the car off and turn it back on.”
