Ford Recalls 1.1 Million S.U.V.s Because of Faulty Power Steering

In three actions, Ford said Thursday it was recalling about 1.3 million vehicles, mostly because of steering problems. In a separate equipment recall, the automaker said it would replace about 82,500 floor mats because they could jam against the accelerator pedal.

All the recalls come several years after Ford first knew of the problems and in three cases after investigations by either the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or the Canadian safety agency Transport Canada.

The largest recall involves about 915,000 2008-11 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner sport utility vehicles because they may lose the power assist to the steering, the automaker said Thursday. About 736,000 of the vehicles are in the United States.

Ford said a problem with a torque sensor might be causing a switch to manual steering, "making the vehicle more difficult to steer."

In a report to the United States safety agency, Ford said it was aware of a quality problem in 2009 and made improvements in the part about a year later. But there was no recall.

Late in 2011, Transport Canada began an investigation after receiving complaints from owners. Ford insisted the problem was not serious because the vehicle could still be steered. The Canadians, however, continued to push, leading to Ford's decision to recall the vehicles in both countries.

Ford said it was aware of claims of five accidents involving six injuries. The N.H.T.S.A. website lists several hundred complaints from owners, including at least nine claims of accidents and six injuries.

"The power steering goes out while driving or parked," one owner wrote to the agency. "The car needs to be pulled over and restarted. This is very unsafe."

Another owner complained that Ford wanted $1,500 for the repair.

There is no indication the agency ever opened an investigation, and a spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The second recall action covers about 195,500 2011-13 Explorers in which a poor electrical connection in the steering could cause the loss of power assist. Almost 178,000 of the sport utility vehicles are in the United States.

Ford said it was aware of 15 accidents, which it said took place at low speeds, and two injuries, described as minor, related to the defect, a Ford spokeswoman, Kelli Felker, wrote in an email.

Ford said it began investigating "quality issues" with the steering in the summer of 2011 after noticing more warranty claims than expected. That fall the automaker modified a part to fix the problem. But there was no recall.

In June 2012, however, the N.H.T.S.A. began an investigation based on complaints from owners. Ford responded that even if power assist was lost the vehicle could still be controlled. However, the safety agency continued to push for a recall, and this month the automaker agreed.

The third recall covers about 196,600 2010-14 Tauruses with corrosion in the rear license plate lamps that could cause a short circuit and fire. The recall includes about 183,400 in the United States.

Ford is recalling vehicles only in places that use a lot of road salt, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The recall is also taking place in Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

Ford told federal regulators it was aware of a problem in 2011 and had been monitoring the problem. Ms. Felker said the automaker was aware of 18 reports of fires and one minor injury.

The fourth recall covers about 82,500 all-weather floor mats on some 2006-11 Fusions, Mercury Milans, Lincoln Zephyrs and Lincoln MKZs. The mats may have come with the vehicles or been purchased from a dealer. Ford is aware of two complaints that the accelerator jammed, but no accidents, Ms. Felker wrote in an email.

After receiving complaints from owners, the safety agency began investigating the floor mats in May 2010. Ford resisted a recall, and the agency upgraded the investigation in December 2012. In March, federal regulators said their tests showed that a floor mat could interfere with the accelerator pedal, although Ford officials said they could not duplicate the problem. This month, the automaker agreed to a recall.

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