Ford is recalling nearly 3 million vehicles over a gear shift issue that could cause vehicles to roll away. The issue is that the transmission might incorrectly indicate it's in park - when it's really not. This creates a rollaway, injury and crash risk when driver's exit the vehicle.
Here is a list of the makes and models being recalled:
- 2013-2019 Escape
- 2013-2018 C-Max
- 2013-2016 Fusion
- 2013-2021 Transit Connect
- 2015-2018 Edge
In documents on the NHTSA recall website, Ford reports six alleged incidents of property damage and four reports of alleged injuries.
The NHTSA document describes the defect as such: On affected vehicles, the bushing that attaches the shift cable to the transmission may degrade or detach. A damaged or missing bushing could prevent the shifter from moving the transmission to the intended gear position.
While the root cause of the issue isn't known, the NHTSA filing says that "based on Ford’s root cause investigation, heat and humidity have the potential to contribute to the hydrological breakdown of the bushing material."
2018 Ford Escape center console gear shifter. Credit Ford.
- NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000
- Manufacturer Ford Motor Company
- Components POWER TRAIN
- Potential Number of Units Affected 2,925,968
Summary
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Notes
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
Click here for the NHTSA Safety Recall Report.
