Crisis Management Time For Ford, Nearly 3 Million Units Recalled Over Faulty Transmission

A gloomy moment for the Blue Oval, as it recalls almost three million Ford units in the United States due to a fault with the transmission.

The company urges this to be taken seriously as the defect may cause the car to roll away even when the driver thinks the transmission is in Park.

Specifically, the issue is with a bushing that attaches the shift cable to the transmission. It can damage over time and eventually detach, causing it to be in a different gear than indicated.

Furthermore, the driver could also shift into Park and remove the ignition key without the transmission actually being in the Park gear, allowing it to roll away.

Ford said, “Heat and humidity have the potential to contribute to the hydrological breakdown of the bushing material. If the vehicle ignition is on, the instrument panel display position on the cluster will show the correct transmission gear state, which may not match the gear shift lever position. The driver may also notice the defect if they attempt to shift to an intended gear and the vehicle responds differently than intended based on the transmission gear state. Additionally, if a vehicle is turned off in a transmission gear state other than Park, regardless of the gear shift lever position, the engine will not restart.”

In the U.S., the recall applies to these vehicle range:

2013 to 2019 Ford Escape

2013 to 2018 Ford C-Max Hybrid

2013 to 2016 Ford Fusion sedan

2013 to 2021 Ford Transit Connect

2015 to 2018 Ford Edge

To address the issue, Ford will provide an inspection and repair needed for all the recalled units, free of charge. Letters to car owners are expected to begin mailing on June 27, 2022. 

Notably, the free repair involves using a different material to make the bushings that have a heat stabilizer and installing a cap over the shift bushing to protect against contamination.

According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), they received documents from Ford saying that the automaker is aware of the problem.

It states that between April 29, 2015 and March 31, 2022, four injuries, six property damage reports, 233 customer complaints and 1,630 warranty claims related to the issue were filed.

That said, for owners to determine if they’re affected by the recall, it can be done through Ford’s consumer website, the FordPass App or by checking with a Ford dealer.