NHTSA has launched an investigation into problems with the steering wheels in 2014-16 Ford Fusions.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it has opened an investigation into 841,000 Ford Fusions due to reports of problems with car’s the steering wheel.

There have been three reports of steering wheel bolts coming loose on 2014-16 model year Fusions. In one case, the wheel came completely detached as a driver attempted to turn into a gas station.

Ford told Reuters in an emailed statement Friday it was cooperating “with the agency on its investigation, as we always do.” 

This marks the third action in less than 10 days that has involved the automaker. On Oct. 25, the company announced four recalls involving more than 103,000 Ford Transits and F-150 trucks.

Ford recalled approximately 73,000 2015-17 Ford Transit vehicles equipped with a trailer tow module for water intrusion into the module and connector resulting in potential wiring corrosion and damage to the module.

(Ford addressing exhaust fume concerns with 1.4 million Explorer SUVs. Click Here for more.)

There have been three complaints about the steering wheels in 2014-16 Fusions, including one instance where the wheel came off while the driver was turning.

The issue could cause rapid flashing of the turn signals, loss of the instrument cluster display, loss of heater and air conditioning controls, and loss of multimedia including radio, screens and SYNC.

Prolonged water intrusion could also result in an electrical short to the ground, which could cause uncommanded seat belt pretensioner deployment, a burning smell and/or increased risk of fire, including when the vehicle is parked and the ignition is off.

Additionally, the automaker recalled approximately 15,000 2018 Ford F-150 vehicles with 3.3-liter engines, six-speed transmissions and column-mounted shift lever for inaccurate gear selection that could result in unintended vehicle movement.

The maker recalled another 15,000 2017 Ford F-150 vehicles with 10-speed automatic transmissions for an inability to shift the transmission using the shift lever.

(Click Here for details about Ford’s recall of 1.3 million trucks.)

In affected vehicles, the pin attaching the transmission shift linkage to the transmission may come out. If this happens, movement of the shift lever by the driver will not change the transmission gear, which will remain in the gear it was in when the pin came out regardless of the position of the shift lever.

Last week, the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker recalled 1.3 million 2015-17 Ford F-150 pickups and 2017 Super Duty trucks due to frozen door latches or damaged actuation cables that may prevent a door from opening or closing.

The company said it would take a $267 million charge for the recall. In all, the company taken nearly $1 billion in charges for recall actions since August 2016.

Prior to that, the automaker said it was investigating possible exhaust fume leaks in 1.4 million of its midsize Explorer SUVs. Ford told owners it would inspect the vehicles and, if necessary, make free repairs.

(To see more about Ford CEO Jim Hackett’s vision for the future, Click Here.) 

The Explorer came under scrutiny when reports began to surface that some versions of the popular SUV, modified for use by police, may have been experiencing exhaust fume leaks, including deadly carbon monoxide, into the passenger compartment. That briefly led some police departments to pull their Explorers out of use until repairs could be made.