Ford recalls 2.9 million vehicles

The recall affects Ford C-Max, Edge, Escape, Fusion and Transit Connect models.

The recall affects Ford C-Max vehicles from model years 2013-18, Edges from 2015-18, Escapes from 2013-19, Fusions from 2013-16, and the Transit Connect from 2013-21, according to a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Washington — Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than 2.9 million vehicles that may roll away after being put in park. Ford recalls 2.9 million vehicles that may roll away while in park

Ford is recalling 2.9 million U.S. vehicles over concerns they could roll away after drivers move the gear shift into the park position.

Owners of the recalled vehicles can service their cars for free at a Ford or Lincoln dealer. Ford issued four previous recalls over the bushing issue, according to the documents. The company indicated it has received 1,630 warranty reports and 233 vehicle owner questionnaires (VOQ) in connection with the issue since April 2015.

Ford is recalling over 2.9 million vehicles to fix a transmission problem that can increase the risk of inadvertent rollaway crashes.

Ford says in documents that it knows of four injury reports due to the problem, and another six property damage claims. That can stop the vehicles from shifting into the intended gear. A vehicle thought to have been shifted into park may actually be in a different gear, allowing it to roll away.

Bushings connecting the shifter to the shift linkage may fail, leaving no way to put the car in gear -- or allowing it to roll away in Park.

If that bushing fails, a driver moving the gear selector will not affect the transmission itself — you may think you’re in Park, but the car could still be in Neutral. Each one runs the risk of a bushing in the shifter linkage wearing down (or, seemingly, falling out completely), leaving the shifter stalk unable to control the transmission. It’s been a whole twenty hours since Ford issued a broad, newsworthy recall affecting a huge swath of vehicles, and it seems the company didn’t want to spend too long outside that spotlight.

Ford is recalling 2.9 million Escape, Fusion, C-Max, Edge and Transit Connect vehicles from various years.

Ford estimated 1 percent of the 2.9 million recalled vehicles have the defect. “The driver does not receive a warning message or audible chime,” Ford said in a regulatory filing submitted Friday. Leaving the vehicle without it actually being in park and without the parking brake on could allow it to keep moving, “increasing the risk of injury or crash,” the company said. In a letter to the company Tuesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cited the risk of an “unintentional rollaway” and noted that the problem can also cause the vehicle “to move in an unexpected direction.”

The NHTSA has multiple reports of property damage and injuries potentially related to the problem.

But the country's largest lobbying group is now viewed with contempt across large swaths of the Republican Party. Why it matters: The U.S. Chamber used to wield enormous power within the GOP as the representative of business interests. Why it matters: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has multiple reports of property damage and injuries potentially related to the problem.