Ford is steering more than 62,000 sedans to safety with a recall to address steering wheels that could come loose and fall off in the driver's hands.
The cars affected are Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ from model years 2014 through 2018, a pair of mid-size sedans built around the same mechanical systems.
In its recall notice, Ford says the bolt that holds the wheel to the steering column "may not maintain torque, allowing the bolt to loosen over time." Ford helpfully points out that a loosened steering wheel "could potentially detach and lead to a loss of steering control and increased risk of a crash."
The fix is to install a longer steering wheel bolt with "more robust thread engagement" and a nylon patch to help the bolt maintain torque.
Ford says it is aware of two crashes and one injury allegedly related to this flaw. The recall includes a total of nearly 1.4 million cars in North America.
In a second campaign, Ford is recalling a few hundred Fusion and Focus models with manual transmissions whose clutches may slip and generate excessive heat that could cause a fire. Ford says it will update the Focus' powertrain software to detect and prevent excessive clutch slippage and inspect the clutch for premature wear; in the affected Fusion models, they will replace the clutch straight away.
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