Ford Motor Co. has recalled 30,735 model year 2022 and 2023 Mustang models to address a problem with steering, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In the automaker's filing with the NHTSA, Ford said the secondary steering torque sensor may not be calibrated properly on the recalled Mustang models, which can cause the steering wheel to unintentionally turn from side to side and increase the risk of a crash.
Ford cited a fault with the power steering control module software on the affected vehicles. Customers will need to visit a dealer to have the PSCM software updated, but a remedy is not expected until August.
The steering units were supplied to Ford by Nexteer Automotive. On May 21, Nexteer notified Ford about the problem and the automaker’s Critical Concern Review Group opened an investigation that included a review of supplier maintenance records, warranty reports and vehicle testing. Ford’s CCRG approved a field action on June 21, which led to the recall.
The automaker was informed of two warranty claims related to steering as of June 6, but is not aware of any reports of accident or injury related to this condition, according to the NHTSA safety recall report.
In a July 2 memo to dealers, Ford said that the steering wheel in the affected vehicles’ may begin oscillating without warning when attempting to steer, due to the Electric Power-Assisted Steering providing unintended assist.
Ford says it will provide a service bulletin to dealers in August, when it is anticipated that a module software update and repair instructions will be available to support the recall of up to 30,000 or more vehicles.
In addition to the 2022 and 2023 Mustang, Ford also recalled another 7,442 vehicles — including the 2018-2021 Mustang, 2018-2020 F-150 pickup and 2018-2021 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs — for the same issue with the secondary steering torque sensor.
The latest recall is Ford’s fifth in recent months and 32nd this year, which collectively includes over 2.5 million vehicles, according to the NHTSA. Last month, Ford recalled over 550K F-150 pickups to fix a transmission issue.
In a Feburary interview with analyst Rob Lache at the Wolfe Research Global Auto and Auto Tech Conference, Ford CEO Jim Farley says he’s been working to improve vehicle quality since taking over the role in October 2020.
But recalls in general have been on the rise for automakers since 2019, mainly due to more vehicle complexity, according to the 2023 Annual Report Safety Recalls data released in March by the NHTSA.
Owner notification letters for the latest batch of recalled Ford vehicles are expected to be mailed Aug. 5.
