Ford issued a recall today for over 1.3m cars because of fears that loose steering wheel bolts could lead to steering wheels detaching from the steering column.
The recall, which affects North America, is targeted at its 2014-18 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ models.
Ford said that it was aware of two accidents and one injury related to this problem.
There are more than 1.3m cars affected in the USA, more than 60,000 in Canada and more than 14,000 in Mexico.
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The car giant is also starting a recall in Europe of over 540,000 cars. Cars affected include the Focus, C-MAX, Connect, Kuga, Mondeo, Galaxy and S-MAX equipped with one litre, 1.5 litre or 1.6 litre GTDi engines in combination with six-speed manual transmissions.
Ford said in a statement: “Safety is our number one priority – we want to reassure our customers that the affected vehicles remain safe to drive. However, customers should see their dealer if their vehicle exhibits abnormal clutch noise, odour, smoke, and/or engine speed flare accompanied by a loss of power.
“Ford will contact affected customers in the coming weeks with details on service solution availability and installation at dealers. Any action carried out on affected vehicles will be free of charge. We remain committed to providing our customers with safe and high quality vehicles, addressing potential issues and responding quickly for our customers.”
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Ford has also issued a recall for Ford Focus and Ford Fusion models with the one litre and 1.6 litre engines and manual transmissions in North America.
It said that affected vehicles could experience premature clutch-wear which could lead to cracking. The high heat generated by a damaged clutch could cause ignition risks, however Ford said it is not aware of any fires, accidents or injuries caused by this issue.
