Ford Issues Recall Covering 211,000 Ford Flex, Taurus, and Lincoln MKT Models For Rear Suspension Problem

Affected vehicles could have their rear suspension toe links fracture while driving

2013 ford flex
[Photos: Ford]

On Wednesday, Ford issued a recall affecting the 2013-18 Ford Flex, Lincoln MKT, Ford Taurus SHO and Police Interceptor. Repeated full articulation of the rear suspension on these models may result in a toe link fracture, making the cars more difficult to control.

This recall covers 211,207 Fords in the United States, as well as 15,281 in Canada and 1,396 in Mexico. If the issue sounds familiar, it’s because Ford actually dealt with the same problem recently. In June 2019, the company issued a recall on 1.2 million 2011-17 Ford Explorers for the same issue. 

The standard Ford Taurus is not included in the recall — just the high-performance SHO model equipped with the Performance Pack.

Toe links help keep the rear wheels pointing straight under hard cornering and through bumps. When broken, the rear end of the vehicle may become much less stable. Ford is unaware of any accidents or injuries related to toe link fractures on these vehicles, but dealerships will replace the toe links with stronger forged units to solve the problem.

Owners of affected models can visit Ford’s recall website and plug in their VIN to see if their car is included in the recall. Ford’s general phone number is (800) 392-3673, and the recall number is 20S04.