Ford Recalls 2008-2011 Escape and Mercury Mariner for Steering Defect
Ford is recalling 2008-2011 Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles because the steering torque sensor may fail, causing loss of power steering assist.
What this means for you
Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 3/5 (High).
Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.
Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a steering system defect that increases the risk of a crash, but the source text does not report any specific injuries or fatalities, fitting the 'High' severity criteria for risk-of-harm products where injury has not yet been reported.
Plain-English summary
Ford Motor Company is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured between August 18, 2006, and September 11, 2010. The recall involves approximately 740,878 vehicles.
The affected vehicles have a steering torque sensor that may not properly detect driver steering input. As a result, the Electric Power Steering (EPS) assist system could be removed. If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort is required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, which increases the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power steering control module and the instrument cluster module free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of the torque sensor signal or fault codes relating to the power steering control module, the affected components will be replaced free of charge. The recall began on July 18, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.
The recalled product
- Product
- MERCURY, FORD MARINER, ESCAPE
- Brand
- MERCURY
- Manufacturer
- Ford Motor Company
- Category
- Vehicle — Steering System
- Affected units
- 740,878
Is your product affected?
Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.
Model numbers (2)
- MARINER
- ESCAPE
Distribution
Distributed nationwide across the United States.
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