Beware the 2013 Ford Fusion or at least the right front wheel

As I was driving my Ford Fusion down a city street, about to turn into Costco, the right front wheel fell off my car. I lost control of the car, and it came screeching to a halt. Fortunately, I was only driving about 20 miles per hour. Had I been going faster, the failure could have resulted in death or injury.

The wheel fell off the car due to a failed ball joint even though the vehicle only had
67,120 miles, had received regular maintenance, and had not been in an accident. Ford denies any responsibility for the failure, although it seems obvious that the wheel of
a four year old car with relatively low mileage should not simply fall off the car.  Ford told me exactly what I could do with my request for assistance with the repairs. Ford’s response shocked me, given that the company’s potential liability would have been far greater had their been death or injury.

Damage to the vehicle was significant enough that I am not planning to drop my claim against Ford. I will just have to wait and see if the courts hold Ford responsible for a clearly defective vehicle, or perhaps Ford will become more flexible once a case is filed.

I also filed a Vehicle safety complaint with NHTSA to make others aware of this potential safety defect.

The photos I took after this incident show exactly what happens when a wheel falls off a Ford Fusion.  It’s not pretty.

Please share this post. I would like to make others aware of this potential defect.

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