Ford recalls Fusions, Rangers over glitch causing them to shift out of park

May 15 (UPI) -- Ford Motor on Wednesday recalled more than 270,000 Fusions and Rangers after receiving reports of a glitch with the transmission causing the vehicles to shift out of park and roll away.

The recall affects more than 270,000 2013-16 Ford Fusions equipped with a 2.5-liter engine and about 2,500 2019 Ranger trucks.

On the Fusions, Ford said there's a defect with the shifter cable bushing, which can degrade and detach from the transmission. This could allow the transmission to be in a gear state different than what the driver selected.

In some cases, the driver could put their Fusion in park only for the vehicle to then roll away, risking injury or a crash. The automaker said it received three reports of possible property damage and one report of an alleged injury resulting from the glitch.

The problem with the Ranger trucks is the shift cable bracket fasteners, which may not torque to specification. This could cause the shift cable bracket to become loose and the transition to be in a gear state different than what the driver selected.

Again, the vehicle could begin to roll away even though the driver believes it is in park. Ford said it's not aware of any injuries or damage connected to the Ranger glitch.

Ford warned drivers of the vehicles in question to always use the parking brake until a repair can be made.