Ford Recall List

Ford Recall List 2011: Fusion and Mercury Milan have wheel nut issue

It was only a week ago that we told you about a Honda auto recall that concerned some faulty airbag systems. Today we have another worrying problem to report to you as the Ford recall list of 2011 grows, thanks to the Fusion and Mercury Milan having a wheel nut issue.

According to The New York Times Ford is recalling around 129,000 of its Fusion and Mercury Milan models from 2010 and 2011. The problem surrounds the wheel nuts that are found on vehicles with 17-inch steel wheels. They may break so could potentially lead to the wheel coming away from the car.

Ford has told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the issue, and any models with alloy wheels are not affected. Ford first became aware of the issue back in August of last year after some wheel nuts fractured during tightening at its plant in Hermosillo, Mexico. The Milan has been phased out now along with the Mercury brand.

The car manufacturer stated that “an extensive investigation” had already begun in January 2011 as the NHTSA announced its own investigation into the issue. The agency said it had started looking into the matter after owners had complained about nuts breaking. There were even four reports of wheels actually coming off.

Ford has responded about the chances of wheels coming off by suggesting noise or vibration would lead to owners going to a dealership. It also stated that there isn’t much chance of all five wheel nuts breaking at the same time.

The NHTSA said that it upgraded its investigation back in July despite the assurances Ford were making. Ford has said it knows of one front wheel and five rear wheels coming away from vehicles that are believed to be caused by the faulty wheel nuts, but were not aware of any accidents.

Source:http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/12/09/ford-recall-list-2011-fusion-and-mercury-milan-have-wheel-nut-issue/