“Rollaway” Risk Results in Recall of Ford Fusion, Escape Vehicles

Ford Motor Company is recalling of more than a half million vehicles, due to a risk that they may “rollaway,” moving out of position even after they are placed in park, which can pose a serious risk to occupants and bystanders. 

The Ford recall was announced in a statement issued on July 18, impacting certain Ford Escape SUVs and Ford Fusion vehicles, which may have a defective shifter cable that may degrade and detach from the transmission, allowing the gear to unexpectedly shift out of the park position.

If the cable detaches, when the car is placed into gear, it may appear it is actually in a different gear. This may lead the driver to think the car is in a different gear than it actually is in. For instance, a driver may think they placed the vehicle into park, when it is actually in neutral. If the car is in neutral it may roll from the parking location.

Ford indicates it has not received any reports of accidents, injuries or deaths linked to the problem, but similar “rollaway” risks associated with other automobiles have been linked to several severe injuries and deaths in recent years.

The recall affects model year 2014 Ford Fusion vehicles built at its Flat Rock Assembly Plant from June 18, 2013 to September 15, 2013; 2014-16 Ford Fusion vehicles built at the same plant from June 2, 2014 to August 31, 2015; 2013-14 Ford Fusion vehicles built at its Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly Plant from June 2, 2014 to August 31, 2015; and 2013-14 Ford Escape vehicles built at the Louisville Assembly Plant from May 15, 2013 to September 15, 2013.

The recall is similar to one issued by Ford in April, which affected nearly 350,000 Ford Expedition SUVs and F-150 trucks for a similar gear shift problem. This recall involved a gear cable clip that did not engage properly; however, it posed the same rollaway hazard.

Other car makers have also issued recalls in recent months due to rollaway problems. In February, Dodge recalled 180,000 Ram pickup trucks due to transmission problems that caused rollaways.

Similarly, Chrysler recalled nearly 250,000 Pacifica minivans after a problem was discovered with the manual park release plug, also posing a rollaway hazard to drivers and passages.

Chrysler was hit with a class action lawsuit over rollaway issues with Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles in July 2016. Concerns were sparked after Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov in the new Star Trek movies, died after his Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled backwards over him in his driveway, crushing him against a pillar.

After the actor’s death and publicity surrounding the Jeep Grand Cherokee rollaway problems, a class action lawsuit was filed alleging that the shifter defect was responsible for the Yelchin’s death, as well as at least 300 other accidents.

Ford recommends affected owners contact the dealership for a free repair, which will involve having the gear shifter cable bushing replaced.

Until the replacement is done, Ford suggests drivers use the parking brake in addition to placing the vehicle into the Park gear. This will help ensure the car does not move unintentionally.

For more information about the most recent Ford recall, contact Ford at 866-436-7332. The Ford recall reference number is 18S20.