Complaint 2198642

Complaint Summary

SUSPENSION

Owner Narrative

Bushing of the driver side rear toe link (aka lateral link, toe arm, etc.) separated, causing the rest of the toe link to disconnect from the tire. Images are available but the original part has been taken by the mechanic. Bushing likely failed from corrosion, though this vehicle only spent 4 of its 10 years in a heavily salted environment. The toe link is also intended to last the life of the vehicle and is not mentioned in the recommended maintenance per the vehicle manual. After the toe link separated control of the vehicle was lost. This occurred at a low speed (~25 mph) in a residential area so there were no injuries or property damaged. Service center has confirmed toe link failure. The vehicle and component have not been inspected by any other party. There were no signs of issue prior to the failure. A previous mechanic had indicated that the toe link was seized and could not be adjusted for an alignment but did not recommend replacement. There was no abnormal tire wear or handling of the vehicle prior to the failure. Though this could have been prevented through maintenance, there were no indicators of a failure besides the seized bolt mentioned by the mechanic. May indicate a wider issue similar to Ford's previous toe link problems.

Owner-submitted narrative on file with NHTSA. Complaint narratives are self-reported and have not been verified.