andyross Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Quote Ford Motor said Wednesday that it is issuing a safety recall for the 2014 through 2018 model-year Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ sedans. The recall comes after officials discovered that the cars have "potentially loose steering wheel bolts that could result in a steering wheel detaching from the steering column," Ford said in a statement. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2018/03/14/ford-recall-fusion-lincoln-mkz-steering-wheel/423395002/ 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fusionff Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Here are the 'Cliff Notes' version: Select 2014-18 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles for loose steering wheel bolts that could lead to a steering wheel detaching from steering column Ford is issuing a safety recall in North America for approximately 1.3 million 2014-18 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles for potentially loose steering wheel bolts that could result in a steering wheel detaching from the steering column. In affected vehicles, the steering wheel bolt may not maintain torque, allowing the bolt to loosen over time, and if not serviced, a steering wheel could potentially detach and lead to a loss of steering control and increased risk of a crash. Ford is aware of two accidents with one injury allegedly related to this condition. Affected vehicles include: 2014-17 Ford Fusion vehicles built at Flat Rock Assembly Plant, Aug. 6, 2013 to Feb. 29, 2016 2014-18 Ford Fusion vehicles built at Hermosillo Assembly Plant, July 25, 2013 to March 5, 2018 2014-18 Lincoln MKZ vehicles built at Hermosillo Assembly Plant, July 25, 2013 to March 5, 2018 The recall involves approximately 1,378,637 vehicles in North America with 1,301,986 in the United States and federalized territories, 62,479 in Canada and 14,172 in Mexico. The Ford reference number for this recall is 18S08. Dealers will replace the steering wheel bolt on the vehicle with a longer bolt with more robust thread engagement and larger nylon patch placed properly for proper torque retention— at no cost to customers. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyross Posted March 15, 2018 Author Share Posted March 15, 2018 I guess this is a somewhat unusual enough of a recall that it even got coverage on tech site Ars Technica! https://arstechnica.com/cars/2018/03/ford-recalls-1-3-million-cars-for-steering-wheels-that-might-fall-off/ 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas R Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 Guess I better turn on that "lane keeping" feature. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KyleQ Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 So everywhere it says bolt, as in singular. Being that, it has to be the bolt on the pinch joint where the column splines into the rack- commonly pulled when dropping the subframe. If that is the case I don't see why this can't be done during an oil change. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyross Posted March 16, 2018 Author Share Posted March 16, 2018 I think it's the bolt that holds the steering wheel onto the column. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drolds1 Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 3 hours ago, andyross said: I think it's the bolt that holds the steering wheel onto the column. I agree. Here's an interesting video, from 2017, of a Fusion with a loose steering wheel. I can't believe they use this arrangement. There used to be a nut and a splined shaft. You needed the force exerted by a wheel puller to get the wheel off! Jeez! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FusionDiffusion Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 8 hours ago, drolds1 said: I agree. Here's an interesting video, from 2017, of a Fusion with a loose steering wheel. I can't believe they use this arrangement. There used to be a nut and a splined shaft. You needed the force exerted by a wheel puller to get the wheel off! Jeez! So to summarize, if you are handy and you have a loose steering wheel, you can take off the airbag, put new red Loctite on the nut, and tighten to 35 ft-lbs or more in a pinch. But it's probably just as worthwhile to get the longer bolt from the dealer or take it in. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyross Posted March 17, 2018 Author Share Posted March 17, 2018 A bit of a side story, but soon, you may not need to worry about a loose steering wheel: Congress debates allowing tens of thousands of cars with no steering wheel 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drolds1 Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 14 hours ago, FusionDiffusion said: So to summarize, if you are handy and you have a loose steering wheel, you can take off the airbag, put new red Loctite on the nut, and tighten to 35 ft-lbs or more in a pinch. But it's probably just as worthwhile to get the longer bolt from the dealer or take it in. Probably but, yeah, the fix is more reassuring. They're using a longer bolt with a more aggressive thread pattern and a nylon insert. I'm sure some thread locker will be properly applied this time too. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baaca Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 Talked to my local dealer yesterday regarding this recall. The service department is frustrated as I was told Ford had sent them only 4 of the new bolts. The comment was made that they have hundreds of Fusions on the lot they can't sell because of the recall and no information from Ford on when the parts will arrive. They have no answers for the owners who call wanting their cars fixed. This situation with recall parts reminds me of the problems with getting the airbags recalled in my old Honda, took almost a year to get both done..... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clusterliver1 Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 Similar story with me. Appointment scheduled for the bolt replacement and cancelled a day later because parts are unavailable. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timwil56 Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 Taking mine in tomorrow. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timwil56 Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 On 3/16/2018 at 7:52 PM, FusionDiffusion said: So to summarize, if you are handy and you have a loose steering wheel, you can take off the airbag, put new red Loctite on the nut, and tighten to 35 ft-lbs or more in a pinch. But it's probably just as worthwhile to get the longer bolt from the dealer or take it in. If you fix it yourself, Ford won't have a record the repair was made and the recall was completed. My motto is: the first oil change, if it's under warranty, or part of a recall, take it to the dealership. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timwil56 Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 On 3/27/2018 at 12:28 PM, timwil56 said: Taking mine in tomorrow. Took it in Wednesday and it took and agonizing 3 hours. My guess, they took it from me, but let it sit until the paying jobs were completed. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f100owner Posted April 5, 2018 Share Posted April 5, 2018 Took my 2015 fusion in for passenger air bag indicator going off and on with a passenger in the seat. Service writer commented they had just received some of the bolts and he would secure one for my car. At least that was resolved and wife is happier. She still prefers to drive the expedition. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronin Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 On 3/29/2018 at 7:23 PM, timwil56 said: Took it in Wednesday and it took and agonizing 3 hours. My guess, they took it from me, but let it sit until the paying jobs were completed. A warranty job is a paying job. The dealer submits the claim to Ford, who is the customer in this sense, and they pay the claim like any other repair job. Recalls can actually be quite lucrative for dealers, as this is guaranteed income from a predetermined number of cars that the dealer knows will come into the service department. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timwil56 Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 Don't they get paid book rate and time, and if it goes over they begin to lose money, also, isn't the way they pay technicians really complicated and favors the company? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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