Ford recalls 1.1 million SUVs over power steering
Explorer, Escape and Mariner older models all affected
Ford Motor Co said on Thursday it is recalling a total of 1.1 million SUVs in North America for the possible loss of power steering.
Ford said 195,527 Explorer SUVs in North America from the 2011 to 2013 model years are to be recalled for a potential intermittent electrical connection in the steering gear.
The recall also affects 915,216 older model Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner SUVs recalled, also for possible loss of power steering because of a faulty sensor.
The loss of power steering can increase the risk of a crash when vehicles are travelling at lower rates of speed. U.S. regulators have received consumer reports of six injuries and five crashes related to the Escape and Mariner models, Ford said..
In addition, it will recall nearly 200,000 Taurus sedans in North America from the 2010 to 2014 model years on a corrosion issue.
Finally, Ford is also recalling 82,576 sedans with floor mats that may interfere with the operation of accelerator pedals. The floor mats were put in 2006 to 2011 model year Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ sedans.
Automakers are giving heightened scrutiny to safety issues in the wake of General Motors Co's ongoing safety crisis that began with an ignition-switch issue in older-model cars.
So far this year, GM has recalled 15.8 million vehicles worldwide. Analyst Karl Brauer of Kelley Blue Book said Ford's spate of recalls on Thursday may be "driven by the heightened sense of concern all automakers are feeling right now, though we'll likely never know for sure."
Brauer added that there have been so many recalls since February when GM issued its first ignition-switch recall that the actions have become "sort of background white noise for consumers."