Ford will be asking owners of certain 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, mid size luxury cars, to return their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln dealership to have repairs done to the power train. According to reports filed with the NHTSA, some vehicles manufactured between April 26, 2012, through September 24, 2013 may fail to comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) No. 114, “Theft Protection and Roll-away Prevention”.
The automobile manufacturer reports that these vehicles may have been manufactured with a transmission range sensor that does not function properly. The transmission range sensor signal may be delayed and the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) may incorrectly assume the vehicle is in “Neutral”. The vehicle could be shifted out of “Park” without the brake pedal being applied, increasing the chance of an unintended roll away. Drivers of vehicles experiencing this defect will be alerted of a problem through an illuminated “shift system fault” message displayed on the message center.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the PCM with new software. Customers wanting more information about the problem can contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford’s recall number is 13C09 and the NHTSA campaign number is 13V-594.
