Ford recalls 1.4 million SUVs and cars: Is yours on the list?
| DETROIT
Ford聽is聽recalling聽1.4 million SUVs and cars in North America to fix steering, rust, and floor mat problems.
The聽recalls聽come as automobile safety is being watched closely by Congress, the Justice Department, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. All are investigating General Motors' delayed聽recall聽of small cars for ignition switch problems. Also, Justice recently made Toyota pay a $1.2 billion penalty for hiding information from government safety regulators.
In the largest of the聽Ford聽recalls聽Thursday, the company is calling back 915,000聽Ford聽Escape and Mercury Mariner small SUVs to fix a problem with a torque sensor within the steering column. The problem could cause loss of power-assisted steering, making the SUVs more difficult to control and increasing the risk of a crash, Ford聽says.
The company recommends one of three fixes: replacing the sensor, updating software or replacing the steering column. The聽recall聽affects model year 2008 through 2011 vehicles built between Aug. 18, 2006 and Sept. 11, 2010.
Another聽recall聽covers 196,000聽Ford聽Explorer SUVs from the 2011 through 2013 model years. An electrical problem in a steering gear can knock out power steering. Dealers will either update software or replace the steering gear.
Ford聽also issued two additional聽recalls聽Thursday:
鈥� More than 196,600 Taurus sedans from the 2010 through 2014 model years. They can rust around the license plate light, which can cause a short circuit and fire. The cars were sold in 20 states and Washington, D.C., where salt is used to clear roads of snow and ice.
鈥� About 82,500聽Ford聽Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and Lincoln MKZ cars from the 2006 through 2011 model years. Floor mats in some cars could come in contact with the gas pedal if improperly installed. Dealers will replace the mats.
Karl Brauer, senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book, said the聽recalls聽could be caused by heightened concern by automakers because of the GM and Toyota cases.
"I do think manufacturers are more willing to issue a聽recall聽at this point because their sheer number in recent months has become a sort of background white noise for consumers," he said in a statement.
But聽Ford聽spokeswoman Kelli Felker said Thursday's聽recalls聽are just part of the company's normal聽recall process.
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