Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Ford Flex, 2008 and 2010-2012 Ford Taurus, 2008-2009 Ford Taurus X, 2008 Mercury Sable, 2009 and 2011 Lincoln MKS vehicles. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Safety risk
An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Manufacturer remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the driver's frontal air bag module, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on June 13, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C06.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusion vehicles without a 3.5L engine and Lincoln MKZ hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine and 2013 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with any available engine. The affected vehicles have electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a steering motor sensor fault.
Safety risk
If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Manufacturer remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC). If dealers find any loss of steering assist DTCs, the steering gear will be replaced, free of charge. If, no codes are found during the PSCM inspection, the PSCM software will be updated, free of charge. The recall began on July 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S18.
Owner complaints
A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.
Component
Complaints
Median mileage
Steering
60
118,000 mi
Engine
25
90,000 mi
Power train
18
61,024 mi
Unknown or other
11
61,024 mi
Electrical system
10
50,000 mi
Service brakes
10
46,700 mi
Seats
7
29,551 mi
Wheels
6
48,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling
5
9,063 mi
Fuel/propulsion system
5
74,000 mi
Exterior lighting
3
85,000 mi
Power train: automatic transmission
3
4,550 mi
Structure: body
3
52,000 mi
Suspension
3
73,500 mi
Tires
3
350 mi
Air bags
2
105,000 mi
Electronic stability control (ESC)
2
89,300 mi
Visibility/wiper
2
6,177 mi
Child seat
1
—
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system
1
3,500 mi
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
1
25,000 mi
Equipment
1
9,000 mi
Equipment: appliance: air conditioner
1
70 mi
Fuel system, diesel: delivery: fuel pump
1
—
Seat belts
1
54,000 mi
Steering: linkages: tie rod assembly
1
47,000 mi
Structure: body: hatchback/liftgate
1
36,000 mi
Vehicle speed control
1
56,000 mi
Vehicle speed control: cruise control
1
160,000 mi
Visibility: defroster/defogger/hvac system
1
30,000 mi
The 2010 model has roughly the same number of complaints as this one. The 2012 model has 2 times as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.
Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.