This is the fifth recall for Ford this month
The models affected include the Escape, the Fusion, the C-Max, the Transit Connect, and the Edge, all sold between 2013 and 2021
The transmission could shift into a different gear than the one selected by the driver
Ford is recalling over 3 million vehicles in North America due to a risk of unintended roll-away caused by a degraded bushing in the shift lever linkage.
This new recall campaign affects multiple slightly older models from the brand, including the 2013 to 2019 Escape, the 2013 to 2018 C-Max, the 2013 to 2016 Fusion, the 2013 to 2021 Transit Connect, and the 2015 to 2018 Edge. This accounts for 2, 925, 968 vehicles in the United States and 394,000 in Canada.
Due to a subpar rubber compound, a bushing that connects the shift lever to the transmission can degrade in humid and warm conditions, which can lead to the transmission shifting into an incorrect gear.
This means that there is a risk that the transmission could be in reverse even if the shifter is correctly placed in the Park position, which could cause the vehicle to roll away if the parking brake is not in use.
2020 Ford Fusion | Photo: Ford
Ford reports knowing about 6 incidents where property damage was involved and 4 where people were injured, in addition to 1,630 warranty claims, all caused by this defect.
According to the automaker, the gear indicator display in the instrument cluster indicates the gear the transmission is currently in, regardless of the shifter position, which means that a problem with the bushing can be spotted if the two indications don’t match.
Another sign of the problem is that the engine will not start if the transmission is not in Park or Neutral, even if the shifter is placed in one of those positions. Other than that, however, the vehicle will not issue a warning to drivers who exit the vehicle while it is not properly in Park.
The automaker will rectify this issue by installing a new bushing made from a different material and protected by a plastic cover, without any cost to the owners.
This is not the only recall from Ford recently, far from it, since the company has now launched 38 recalls in 2022, including five added in the last two weeks. This is not even the first recall for this exact issue, since Ford has proceeded to five distinct campaigns to fix this problem since 2018.
One of those five recalls added this month is due to a risk of the Mustang Mach-E overheating and losing power while driving and another is caused by faulty child locks on the Bronco that can allow the rear passenger’s door to be opened from the inside even when the lock is activated.
