Ford Motor Company has announced a recall of 694,271 vehicles globally due to a potential issue with the fuel injector that may crack and lead to underhood fires.
The recall affects certain models of the 2021-2024 Ford Bronco Sport and 2020-2022 Ford Escape, with 1.5L engines.
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The fuel injectors were supplied by Italy-based Dumarey Flowmotion Technologies, according to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall report.
The NHTSA has reported that the fuel injectors could allow fuel or vapor to accumulate near ignition sources. The agency estimates that approximately 0.3% of the vehicles may have this defect.
“We estimate the aggregate cost of the action, based on the remedy options we are evaluating, to be about $570m and will be reflected in our second quarter 2025 results”, the company said in a SEC filing.
According to the NHTSA, a fuel leak may lead to a fuel odour both outside and inside the vehicle. Customers might also observe smoke or flames from the engine compartment or underbody, or receive warnings from the instrument cluster if there is a fire.
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By GlobalDataThe company’s field review committee (FRC) approved Field Service Actions (FSA) 22S73/22V859 in November 2022 and 24S16/24V187 March 2024 for addressing the underhood fire risk.
For both recalls, the remedy involves updating the engine control software to detect a cracked fuel injector and implementing a strategy to “disable the high-pressure fuel pump”, “derate engine power”, and minimise temperatures in the engine compartment.
An additional tube will also be installed to enable fuel to drain away from potential ignition sources.
Further, Ford’s FRC approved FSA 25S21/25V165 in March this year to address vehicles that did not receive the software update correctly.
Last April, the NHTSA opened a recall query questioning the adequacy of the remedy, as they believe it does not address the root cause and does not proactively replace defective fuel injectors. Ford responded to the query in May and June 2024.
This month, Ford’s FRC decided to initiate a safety recall with “a to-be-determined remedy” for the vehicles earlier recalled and an additional population of vehicles with the 1.5L engine.
Ford noted that it has detected eight vehicles that experienced underhood fires, with six not having the updated engine control software.
The company said it is “aware of no allegations of injuries” related to these eight fires.
The final remedy is currently “under development”, and once available, owners will be notified by mail to have the service performed at a Ford or Lincoln dealer at no charge.
Last year, Ford agreed to pay $165m civil penalty following a US government investigation that concluded the company failed to recall vehicles with defective rearview cameras.
