Ford Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar

Ford is recalling about 1,301,986 vehicles over a problem with the steering. A steering wheel detachment can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Campaign
18V167000
Manufacturer
Ford Motor Company
Reported
12 March 2018
Vehicles
1,301,986
Built between
Jul 2013 – Mar 2018
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
30 April 2018
Repaired
77%
Unrepaired
281,422

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between July 2013 and March 2018. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2014-2018 Ford FusionBuilt July 2013 to March 2018
  • 2014-2018 Lincoln MKZBuilt July 2013 to March 2018

Repair progress

281,422 of 1,301,986 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q3 2019.

77% repaired — 999,464 of 1,301,986 reported

Owners not reachable
21,061
Scrapped or exported
39

Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.

What the defect is

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Lincoln MKZ and Ford Fusion vehicles. The steering wheel retaining bolt may loosen allowing the steering wheel to detach while driving.

What could happen

A steering wheel detachment can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel bolt with a longer bolt, free of charge.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJuly 2013 to March 2018
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA12 March 2018
  3. Owners notified30 April 2018
  4. Latest repair reportQ3 2019 — 77% repaired

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 12 March 2018.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Manufacturer contact

Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S08.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
18S08
Recalling manufacturer
Ford Motor Company
Recall initiated by
ODI

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand