Ford Recalls Half A Million Fusion And Escape Vehicles Over Transmission Issue

Ford is conducting a new safety campaign, which concerns certain 2013-2014 Escape and 2013-2016 Fusion vehicles across North America.

According to the information released by the automaker, the gear selected by the driver could actually be different than the one indicated by the shifter.

For example, they could move the shift lever to ‘Park’ and remove the key from the ignition, while the transmission may not be in ‘Park’. If this happens, no warning message or audible chime will be displayed, and without the parking brake applied, the vehicle could roll away, thus increasing the risk of crash and injury.

Also Read: The Lamborghini Aventador’s Having Trouble Downshifting

The Michigan-based carmaker says the culprit is the bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission, which could detach, and that it has already informed dealers of the condition.

Technicians will replace the shifter cable bushing completely free of charge, after owners of the aforementioned vehicles are informed and appointments are scheduled. Until the fix, users are advised to use the parking brake at all times.

The recall affects a total of 549,401 vehicles in North America, including 504,182 in the United States, 36,887 in Canada and 8,332 in Mexico. Ford says it’s not aware of any injuries or deaths associated with this issue.

A second recall announced by Ford revolves around 162 2018MY stripped chassis incomplete vehicles with gross weights of 22,000, 24,000 and 26,000 lbs (9,979, 10,886, 11,793 kg) equipped with 22.5-inch wheels whose front-wheel studs are said to not have been heat-treated accordingly.

These were assembled at Detroit between June 13 and 22 this year, and will be inspected by authorized dealers, who will then remove and replace the front-wheel hub studs as required.