The Town Car was the last identifiable – and successful – Lincoln before Ford pulled the plug, walking away from a market it owned.
Ford Motor Company is recalling more than 350,000 model year 2005-2011 Ford Crown Victoria, CV Police Interceptors, Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car sedans because the steering can fail. Ford said it is not aware of any reported accidents or injuries because of this safety defect.
The recall was prompted by a NHTSA engineering investigation after it received multiple complaints.
In a partial geographic recall that is much derided by safety advocates, only those Ford Motor vehicles currently registered or originally sold in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin are covered.
In the latest example of Ford’s ongoing corrosion problems, the lower intermediate shaft can rust, which may cause the upper intermediate shaft to collapse and the steering column lower bearing to separate. The result is sudden loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash. The mechanical connection between the steering wheel and rack and pinion steering assembly consists of the steering column and an upper and lower intermediate shaft. A disconnection of any of these components from the steering system will create a loss of steering control.
NHTSA documents say that field reports indicate that many drivers observe a change in steering feel (notchy, stiff, binding) when the lower intermediate shaft swing link joint(s) begins stiffening due to corrosion or when the steering column lower bearing retainer migrates out of the steering column jacket, causing them to seek service prior to any loss of steering.
According to NHTSA, the incident rate of the recalled vehicles is 7.7 per 100,000 vehicles (15 total incidents). Five of the 15 incident vehicles were associated with a prior history report of a frontal impact incident. The Office of Defects Investigation at NHTSA also analyzed field data for 2005- 2008 non-CVPI Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis models, and 2009-2011 CVPI models, which use the basic steering column and intermediate shaft design. This analysis identified four reports from Ford and two complaints to ODI, including one duplicate of a complaint provided by Ford, resulting in five total incidents and an incident rate of 1.1 per 100,000 vehicles for a vehicle population of approximately 436,000 vehicles. In the so-called peer vehicle analysis, four of five incident vehicles had a prior history report of a frontal impact.
ODI also identified 42 reports (39 reports with subject vehicles and 3 reports associated peer vehicles) of the lower steering column shaft bearing displacement that did not result in complete separations of the upper to lower steering column shafts. Vehicles with this condition were identified during inspections of police fleets or during vehicle repairs for complaints of looseness, binding or noise in the steering system while turning
Owners will be notified by mail and instructed to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the lower intermediate shaft replaced. The upper intermediate shaft and steering column lower bearing will be inspected for damage that may have occurred because of lower intermediate shaft corrosion, and repaired or replaced as necessary. If the steering column lower bearing has separated, a retainer clip will be installed.
The recall is expected to begin 21 October 2013. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford’s recall number is 13S08. Customers located in so-called non-corrosion states will have a “one-time option” to have their vehicles inspected and, if necessary, repaired. Owners of these vehicles should contact Ford directly or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to www.safercar.gov.
