My Grandfather used to say that Ford stood for “Found Off Road, Dead.” It was funny to a kid growing up, but it isn’t true: Ford makes some damn fine vehicles.
Mostly.
According to The Washington Post, Ford announced, earlier this week, that they were recalling 1.4 million vehicles for what’s really just a minor defec–OH MY GOD STEERING WHEELS ARE FALLING OFF. If you’re behind the wheel of a Ford Fusion or Lincoln MKZ made between 2014 and 2018 sold in the U.S., Canada or Mexico, you might want to swing by your local Ford dealership, provided you can steer, and have them sort it out.
The problem with the faulty steering wheel stems from a simple source: some of the bolts that they used to attach the steering wheels to the steering column were shit. Ford’s solution to the problem is to replace these bolts with ones that aren’t shit. Why they didn’t use ones that weren’t shit in the first place is anyone’s guess, but here we are.
If reading about Ford’s concerns that you could die in a slap-stick-inspired, fiery death isn’t enough to drive you into action, you’ll be happy to hear that USA Today has a compelling list of 10 instances where Ford drivers have had their steering wheel separate from their car’s steering column while driving. My personal favorite from the collection:
“While driving on interstate, steering wheel came loose and car veered off interstate. I regained control but steering wheel is still loose. Repairs will cost beyond my means at this moment.”
So, yeah: if you’re driving one of the effected vehicles, you’ll want to get on that repair, rickety-tick.
Image via Michael Sheehan – Steering Wheel of 2013 Ford Escape, CC BY 2.0, Link