Home › Ford › Taurus › 20V072000

Ford and Lincoln rear suspension links can break

NHTSA campaign 20V072000 · Reported 2020-02-10 · Ford Motor Company

critical How serious is it? About this label

A part that breaks suddenly and takes away control of the car is among the most serious kinds of defect, so treat this as urgent and get it repaired before further driving if you can.

What's wrong, in plain English

These vehicles have a part in the rear suspension called a toe link, which helps hold the back wheels pointed straight. Stress on the rear suspension can crack one of these links and it can break apart. If that happens while you are driving, the car's steering and handling change suddenly and without warning, and it becomes very hard to control. Only Police Interceptor and SHO Performance Pack vehicles are affected. Dealers replace the rear toe links at no cost to you.

What you should do

1. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm your Flex, Taurus, or MKT is covered by campaign 20V072000 (Ford's number 20S04).
2. Call your Ford dealer at 1-866-436-7332 or Lincoln at 1-800-521-4140 and ask for the toe link replacement right away.
3. Have both rear toe links replaced — the repair is free.

Affected vehicles (3)

2018 Ford Flex
2018 Ford Taurus
2018 Lincoln MKT

Who to contact

Ford — official Ford recall lookup

Customer service: 1-866-436-7332

Lincoln — official Lincoln recall lookup

Customer service: 1-866-436-7332

Any franchised dealer for the brand can do the repair. Phone numbers are taken from manufacturer sites and recent NHTSA notices; if one has changed, the number in your own recall letter is the one to use.

The bigger picture

Ford suspension recalls: which control arms and toe links break? · all 18 Ford recalls in this area
Why do Lincoln rear suspension parts break or come loose? · all 6 Lincoln recalls in this area

Official notice

Component: SUSPENSION:REAR
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Lincoln MKT and Ford Flex and Taurus vehicles with the Police Interceptor or SHO Performance Pack. The rear suspension toe links may fracture due to stress on the rear suspension.
Safety risk: A fractured rear toe link will cause a sudden change in vehicle handling and increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge. Remedy parts are not currently available. Owners were notified about the recall on March 3, 2020. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts become available, which is currently expected to be the end of September 2020. The recall began October 28, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 or Lincoln customer service at 1-800-521-4140. Ford's number for this recall is 20S04.

Verify your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov. Recall repairs are free of charge by law.