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A Ford dealer technician hit the road for a pre-delivery inspection in March and came back rattled—literally. The F-150 truck’s steering was loose. Back at the plant, Ford discovered something terrifying: “the lower I-shaft fastener was missing.” That’s a steering linkage bolt. Kinda important. Turns out, the plant turned out a batch of trucks that may suffer the same problem. So now Ford’s adding this 2025 model year problem to its current list of F-150 recalls.

Ford F-150 recall: steering bolt MIA

Ford is recalling 9,181 of its 2025 F-150 pickups built between February 23 and March 7, 2025. The issue? The lower intermediate shaft fastener may not have been torqued to spec—or installed at all. That’s the bolt connecting the steering shaft to the gear. Without it, the shaft could detach, leading to a loss of steering control.  

The defect was discovered on March 28, when the aforementioned dealer technician noted that “excessive steering play” during a road test. Upon inspection, the lower I-shaft fastener was found missing.  Ford traced the problem to a misaligned error-proofing system at the Kansas City Assembly Plant. The system could record a successful torque even if the fastener wasn’t properly secured. Translation: the machine said the fastener was tight, even if it wasn’t.

Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this concern.  

More recalls for the Ford truck lineup

This recall may be small—under 10,000 trucks—but the risk is mighty. Ford blames a botched torque job and says it’s fixing the process. But as I previously wrote, Ford’s recall board is already packed. The automaker recently flagged 2023 F-150 Lightnings for loose battery fasteners that could trigger electrical arcing—and even a fire. It also had to recall 2025 F-150s for missing airbag warning labels.

Meanwhile, the NHTSA is digging into a far scarier issue: sudden downshifts to first gear at highway speeds in 1.3 million older F-150s. One bad bolt in the steering column might seem minor next to that. But when the best-selling truck in America racks up safety recalls like merit badges, every detail counts.

If you’re curious about open recalls on your F-150, call your Ford dealer with your VIN handy. You can also plug in the VIN of any vehicle on NHTSA.gov for the latest info.

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Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari is a MotorBiscuit Staff Writer who brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Henry covers Ford models daily, including the F-150. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. He’s an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts. Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont.