- Ford is recalling 42,652 Escapes and Bronco Sports from the 2022-2023 model years over a fire risk in the engine bay.
- The concern stems from a fuel injector that could crack and allow gas to leak into the engine bay.
- A previous version of the same fuel injector, in the same vehicles, was also recalled due to the risk of a fire.
Ford is still struggling to address a serious problem with the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that powers the Escape and Bronco Sport. The automaker has launched yet another recall on the vehicles due to a risk of fire, this time for those built between October 17, 2022, and December 15, 2023.
The issue may affect 20,382 Escapes from the 2022 model year, and 22,270 Bronco Sports from the 2022-2023 model years — that’s a total of 42,652 units in all. The vehicles are equipped with a fuel injector that may crack, allowing fuel to leak and to come in contact with hot surfaces, which could ultimately lead to a fire.
More: Ford Must Recall Over 500,000 Escapes And Bronco Sports For Fire Risk
If that sounds familiar, it’s because Ford previously recalled 521,778 Escapes and Bronco Sports from the 2020-2023 model years over a very similar issue. Unfortunately, this latest campaign is being initiated because a fix the automaker implemented in order to prevent the leak from happening was not successful.
In October 2022, Ford introduced an updated fuel injector to the vehicles with a reduced knurl diameter that it believed would be more resistant to cracking. It was so confident that the new part would work that it decided not to equip new vehicles with software that would detect a pressure drop in the fuel rail and reduce power in the hopes of avoiding a fire, that it had developed for recalled vehicles.
Unfortunately, the new fuel injector did not completely eliminate the problem, and there have been at least five under hood fires since the new part was introduced. Despite that, Ford is not aware of any crashes or injuries that have resulted from the problem.
In an effort to reduce the risk of a fire occurring under the hood, Ford will ask the owners of affected vehicles to take them to a nearby dealer, where the above-mentioned software will be installed on the vehicle. In addition, a drain tube will be added to the vehicle in an effort to divert leaking fuel away from hot surfaces. These updates will be completed at no cost to the owner.
