Ford Bronco Sport & Escape SUVs recalled for potential fire risk

KUALA LUMPUR: A voluntary recall has been issued by Ford involving half a million SUVs, including the Escape and the Bronco; all manufactured back in 2018. The reason it says is a defective component under the hood that can lead to a fire.

Here are a few key highlights of the Ford’s latest recall -

Cars involved: Ford has recalled 188,436 units of the Bronco Sport and 333,342 units of the Escape SUV. The total comes down to 521,778 units.

Reason for recall: The fuel injector present underneath the hood might crack, leading to fuel or fuel vapor leaking. The proximity to the ignition source can lead to potential fire risk.

As per NHTSA recall analysis, the "cracked fuel injector in the engine allows for fuel to leak at a high rate (19L per hour) into the cylinder head, which can travel out via a drain hole and down onto hot surfaces on the exhaust/turbo system where it may combust."

Recall remedy: The issue will be resolved via an updated engine control software which will detect pressure drop in the fuel rail and inform the driver of the same via the instrument cluster.

In addition, a drain tube will be installed to route fuel from the cylinder head drain hole to the ground (overall away from surfaces that might initiate combustion).

Defective units production timeline: The defective fuel injector design was introduced back in Nov 2018 and taken out of production in October 2022. And therefore the Escape and Bronco Sport units produced within this timeframe are part of the recall.

In the past too, the two Ford SUVs were recalled for the same potential fire risk, however back then it involved a defective engine oil separator.

Also Read: Ford Malaysia opens its 36th dealership