Ford recalls 1.4 million cars for loose steering wheels

The 2018 Ford Fusion, left, and 2017 Lincoln MKZ are included in the recall.

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DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. is recalling nearly 1.4 million Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ sedans in North America because loose bolts could allow the steering wheel to come off.
The automaker said it knows of two accidents and one injury linked to the problem, which federal regulators began investigating in October. Ford said the steering wheel bolt can loosen over time, resulting in detachment of the wheel and a loss of steering control.
Ford began looking into the problem nearly three years ago but said at the time that it lacked enough evidence of a defect.
The recall covers Fusions and MKZs from the 2014 through 2018 model years. Most were made in Hermosillo, Mexico, though Fusions built in Flat Rock, Mich., from 2013 through 2016 are included.
Dozens of Fusion owners complained to regulators at NHTSA about loose or wobbly steering wheels over the years, including a Georgia driver who said the wheel of a 2015 Fusion detached in September.
"While driving to Athens, went to turn in gas station and the steering wheel fell off in my lap," the complainant wrote.
Last month, the owner of a 2014 Fusion in Tennessee made this complaint: "While driving on interstate, steering wheel came loose and car veered off interstate. I regained control, but steering wheel is still loose ... as repairs will cost beyond my means at this moment."

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BMW pulls out of Detroit auto show

Bernhard Kuhnt, CEO of BMW of North America, with the all-new X2 crossover at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Jan. 15, 2018. BMW said Friday it is pulling out of the annual Detrouit auto show. Photo credit: BLOOMBERG

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DETROIT -- BMW is joining German rival Mercedes-Benz and pulling out of the Detroit auto show.
The decision by another major European brand to pull out of the annual January show comes as the Detroit Auto Dealers Association contemplates moving the show to October starting in 2020, and recasting it as a less-expensive show that is more focused on products and technology. Jaguar, Land Rover, Porsche and Mazda and most major exotic sports car makers and ultraluxury brands also skipped the Detroit show this year.
"BMW Group has decided to withdraw from the North American International Auto Show in Detroit," the company said Friday. "This decision was made as BMW Group is constantly examining our presence at trade-shows and other engagements, while, at the same time, also exploring alternative platforms and formats. The overall goal is to communicate our ideas and plans regarding future mobility in the best way and achieve the greatest possible visibility for our products, technologies and innovations."
The DADA believes it can stem and even reverse the loss of participating automakers in the Detroit auto show by holding the event in the fall, when the weather in Detroit is more hospitable and, most importantly, by reducing operating costs. The DADA wants to recast the show to make it more like the Geneva auto show, where the focus is on vehicles and technology, not just on opulent multistory displays. A vote by the dealer group is expected by mid-April.
BMW's 2018 display was already toned down compared with previous years when the company showed vehicles from its various brands, from motorcycles to Rolls-Royces. This year, there were no motorcycles and no Mini vehicles on display when the show opened to the public.

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