NHTSA Investigation
PE17007
Steering Wheel Fastening Bolt Loosens
Key Takeaways
- Investigation PE17007 currently maps to 3 tracked vehicle-year pages across 1 make.
- This page summarizes the public investigation subject, status, timing, and affected tracked vehicles linked from NHTSA source data.
- The linked component on this record is steering.
- This investigation record also references recall campaign 18V167000.
What This Investigation Page Shows
This page summarizes a public NHTSA investigation record tied to one or more tracked vehicle-year pages in our database. Investigation records sit between owner complaints and recall campaigns: they can remain open, close without a recall, or connect to a later remedy action. Use this page to see which tracked vehicles are linked to the record, then open the individual vehicle pages for complaints, recalls, and crash test context.
Investigation Summary
On March 12th, 2018, Ford Motor Company submitted a Defect Information Report to NHTSA describing a defect in the steering wheel fastening system of approximately 1,301,986 model year (MY) Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ. On March 1, 2018, Ford discovered a design change that affected the MY 2014-2018 subject vehicles. The affected population are MY 2014-2016 Fusion and MKZ with manual and power adjust steering columns and MY 2017-2018 Fusion and MKZ equipped with manual adjust steering columns only. The affected populations have steering shafts with a reduced amount of threads for the steering wheel bolt to engage. The thread length was decreased by 5mm in the affected models. Ford stated that another contributing factor was the placement of a nylon locking patch torque retention on the fastening bolt.As a result, the steering wheel bolt may not maintain torque allowing the bolt to loosen and eventually separate from the steering shaft, resulting in a loose or detached steering wheel. The two crashes and one injury noted in Ford?s Defect Information Report are from two legal claims. The first accident is a claim where the driver reported the steering wheel twisted freely on the shaft which caused the driver to lose control.An injury was alleged but no details were provided. The second claim resulted in minor damage to the driver side of the vehicle including a punctured tire. No injury was reported.Ford?s recall remedy procedure will use a bolt that is 17mm longer, providing a more robust steering column thread and torque retention patch engagement. The torque retention feature will be 13mm longer to ensure proper engagement. This investigation is closed based on Ford's recall.
Manufacturer listed on the source record: Ford Motor Company
Component listed on the source record: STEERING
Affected Vehicles (3)
Browse Affected Vehicles
Affected Models
All data is sourced from NHTSA public records. This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or any government agency. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and may not reflect confirmed defects. For official information, visit nhtsa.gov.
Latest vehicle import recorded anywhere on this site: Oct 8, 2026. Individual vehicles and datasets may have older records; this is not this page's update date.