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Ford Recalls 1.3 Million SUVS, Cars

There must be something in the water in Detroit. Following in the very loud and miscalculated footsteps of its biggest American competitor, General Motors, Ford has recalled 1.3 million vehicles, mostly SUVs, for a number of issues. The SUV power steering defects alone have been responsible for at least 20 accidents and eight injuries.

In total, Ford recalled 915,216 Ford Escape models (and the Mercury Mariner, progeny from a now defunct brand that inexplicably died before Lincoln, which is having a slow, painful death of its own) from 2008 to 2011; 736,407 are on American roadways while the rest are puttering around somewhere in Mexico and Canada. All were manufactured at the Kansas City plant.

Separately, Ford recalled 195,527 Ford Explorers for the same power steering defect. The Explorers in question are from the 2011 to 2013 model years; 177,747 are American-owned.

The problematic glitch in the Escapes, Mariners, and Explorers could cause a loss of power steering. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Ford has actually been investigating this issue on the Escape since 2009. For the Escape and Mariner, the problem stems from a torque sensor in the steering column; the Explorer’s issue is a steering gear’s electrical connection.

The SUVs weren’t the only Ford models to get the unwelcome recall attention yesterday. The Blue Oval also recalled 196,639 Ford Taurus models from 2010 to 2014 for a light that illuminates the license plate. Reportedly, the light can corrode, cause a short circuit, and start a fire. Already, 18 reports of fire have been reported, and there has been one injury because—and no, I’m not making this up—one person tried to smother the fire with his bare hands.

Because fires don’t need their oxygen supply cut off—all they want is a gentle embrace, and they’ll settle down nice and easy.

Additionally, Ford has recalled around 82,576 Fusion sedans, Lincoln MKZs, and other models from 2006 to 2011 because the driver’s side all-weather floor mats can become jammed under the accelerator. So far, two accidents have been reported from this issue, which Toyota claims is the same issue that was at the very heart of the unintended acceleration recalls that recently resulted in a $1.2 billion payout.

Reportedly, Ford has already recalled as many vehicles in the first five months of this year as it did in all of 2013. Last year, Ford issued 16 recalls, but the automaker has already put out 11 this year.