The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has expressed significant safety concerns regarding Ford’s recall of over 42,000 SUVs due to fuel leak worries, which could potentially lead to engine fires. This comes amid NHTSA’s investigation into the adequacy and safety implications of Ford’s proposed remedy for the 2022-2023 model year Bronco Sport and 2022 Ford Escape SUVs, equipped with 1.5L engines.
Ford’s recall addresses a fuel injector issue that could result in fuel leaks, posing a risk of underhood fires. The solution from Ford involves an engine control software update and the installation of a drain, omitting the replacement of potentially faulty fuel injectors.
However, NHTSA has criticized Ford’s plan, stating that it fails to tackle the root cause of the problem or proactively replace defective fuel injectors before they fail, thus raising significant safety concerns.
The agency has requested Ford to provide detailed answers regarding the recall, including how the remedy was determined, by June 21. Ford has reiterated its cooperation with NHTSA’s investigation, emphasizing its commitment to supporting the agency’s efforts.
Nevertheless, Ford reported five underhood fires on 1.5L Escape and Bronco Sport vehicles within the new recall group last month. However, no accidents or injuries related to this issue have been reported.
The automaker has designed a software update that will detect drops in fuel rail pressure, notify the driver with a “seek service” message, and reduce engine power output while turning off the high-pressure fuel pump to mitigate potential ignition sources.
This recent recall is reminiscent of a previous one in 2022, where Ford recalled approximately 522,000 vehicles (2020-2023 Ford Escape and 2021-2023 Ford Bronco Sport) for the same fuel injector issue, utilizing a similar remedy.
Ford had informed NHTSA in late 2022 about 54 reports of underhood fires in 2020-2022 Bronco Sport and Escape vehicles with 1.5L engines in North America, alongside reports of four injuries in two incidents.
