Ford has submitted a new voluntary recall, involving more than half a million SUVs manufactured as early as 2018. The recall points to a faulty component under the hood that could cause a fire.
The recall affects 333,342 Ford Escape units and 188,436 Bronco Sport units for a total of 521,778 vehicles potentially involved. The culprit of this recall is believed to be the fuel injector, which can crack and cause fuel or fuel vapor to leak. When located near ignition sources, it could lead to a potential underhood fire.
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According to the analysis on NHTSA Recall 22V-859“The cracked fuel injector in the engine allows fuel to leak at a high rate (19L per hour) into the cylinder head, which can exit through a drain hole and down hot surfaces on the exhaust/turbo system where it can burn.”
This flawed design entered production on November 19, 2018 (the first production date for the 2020 Escape) and was retired from production on October 17, 2022 (the last production date for the 2023 Escape and Bronco Sport ).
Ford Escape and Bronco Sport units that fall within these production dates are part of this voluntary recall.
According to the document, the remedy for this will be updated engine control software that detects a pressure drop in the fuel rail and informs the driver via the instrument cluster. A drain tube will also be fitted to route fuel from the cylinder head drain hole – away from surfaces that could initiate combustion, to the ground beneath the vehicle.
This is not the first recall for the so-called Escape and Bronco Sport units. In April this year, the same batch of SUVs was recalled for a fire hazard but involving a different component: the engine oil separator housing, which could crack and develop an oil leak.
