Aug 12 (Reuters) - Ford is recalling more than

103,000 F-150 pickup trucks in the U.S. over axle bolts that may

break and result in vehicle rollaways or a loss of drive power,

the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on

Tuesday.

A broken axle bolt can damage axle hub splines - components

that transfer power from the axle to the wheels and help them

rotate.

Damaged splines can cause vehicles to roll away when in park

without the parking brake engaged or result in a loss of drive

power, increasing the risk of a crash, the U.S. auto safety

authority said.

The report said that if the rear axle bolt becomes loose,

customers may report a clicking noise. If the bolt breaks, they

may hear a rattling noise.

As a remedy, dealers will replace the rear axle shaft

assemblies, free of charge.

The recall affects Ford's F-150 models between 2023 and

2025. NHTSA estimates about 1% of the vehicles have the defect.