The agency has received several reports of steering shaft obstruction caused by a dislodged heat shield, leading to excessively tight steering or complete lockup. The investigation will attempt to determine if the incidents are related to a widespread defect.
At least one injury has been blamed on the problem, after a 2004 Crown Victoria’s steering allegedly froze and led to a rollover. The accident occurred in Michigan and may have been caused by part of a heat shield that became dislodged due to salt corrosion.
The latest investigation focuses on vehicles from model years 2004 through 2007, potentially affecting up to 500,000 units.
The company issued a 2013 recall for 2005-2011 models sold in salt-belt states, after several vehicles experienced complete steering failure due to separation of the shafts within the steering column.
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