Mercury Mariner: Steering — electric power assist system

Affects Mercury Mariner · 2008–2011 — about 741K vehicles.

The hazard

If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power steering control module (PSCM) and the instrument cluster module, free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of the torque sensor signal or fault codes relating to the PSCM when the vehicle is brought in for the recall remedy, the affected components will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on July 18, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S05.

Critical — crash/injury risk now High — injury risk; see remedy Moderate — fix at next service Low — minor / informational