Ford Motor Co. has issued safety recalls on 1.4 million vehicles being operated in North America, for a variety of issues related to steering, wiring and floor mats.

The company said 915,216 Ford Escapes and Mercury Mariners might have defects in a steering column sensor that could cause the vehicles to shift from power steering to manual steering – which could result in an “increased risk of crash.” The affected vehicles were model years 2008-2011.

The company also said 195,527 of its 2011 to 2013 Explorers had an “intermittent electrical connection” in their steering gears, which could result in a similar loss of power steering and similar risk of crash. Drivers will be alerted by a chime and a message in the instrument cluster.


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