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Ford is recalling nearly 700,000 SUVs in the US after a year-long investigation found a fuel leak issue that could ignite a fire and increase the risk of injury.
A fuel injector in the impacted vehicles may crack and leak fuel inside the engine compartment, potentially leading to an underhood fire, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Wednesday.
The recall includes 694,271 vehicles, including certain 2021-2024 Bronco Sport and 2020-2022 Escape models equipped with 1.5L engines.
Ford estimated that 0.3% of the recalled vehicles – about 2,083 cars – have the defect.
Drivers may notice the scent of fuel near the vehicle, smoke or flames coming from the engine compartment or dashboard warning lights.
Ford said it is still working on a repair for the faulty fuel injectors. In the meantime, dealers will update the engine control software for impacted vehicles free of charge.
The automaker expects to send letters notifying owners of the safety risk by August 18. Second letters will be mailed once the remedy is available.
Separate recalls in 2022 and 2024 concerning the same fuel leak issue recommended software updates, but did not replace the faulty injectors.
The NHTSA last year opened a recall query to evaluate Ford’s remedy, which it found did not address the root cause of the issue.
Ford said it has found cracked fuel injectors in eight vehicles that suffered underhood fires. Six of these vehicles did not have the updated engine software that Ford had recommended.
Wednesday’s recall includes vehicles previously recalled for a fuel leak issue, as well as newer models with the same engines, which were supplied by Italy-based Dumarey Flowmotion Technologies.
