Ford Recall – The Wheels Are Coming Off The Wagon

On Friday, Ford Motor Company recalled nearly 130,000 vehicles in the United States, including its Mercury Milan and Ford Fusion. According to a posting on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website, the affected vehicles with model years 2010 and 2011 may suffer fractures in the wheel studs and, if ignored, can cause the 17″ steel wheels to fall off while the vehicle is in motion or operation.

Ford is claiming that the issue is likely due to incorrectly built wheel mounting pads or rear brake discs, which cannot support the wheel. According to Deepa Seetharaman with Reuters, the affected sedans were manufactured at Ford’s Hermosillo stamping and assembly plant in Mexico. As of the end of September, Ford has confirmed six cases in which a wheel has fallen off – five of the six cases involved a rear wheel. According to Ford, cars with alloy wheels are unaffected by this recall, but the recall does include vehicles with service steel wheels likely sold between April of 2010 and November of the same year. If you or a loved one has one of the affected vehicles, do not continue driving the vehicle until this issue is inspected and corrected.