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Ford is recalling 694,271 vehicles in the United States due to a fuel leak issue that could increase the risk of a fire, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Wednesday, following a year-long investigation.
The NHTSA report said that in the potentially affected vehicles, a fuel injector may crack and leak fuel inside the engine compartment, likely resulting in an underhoood fire.
An internal committee at Ford initially reviewed the issue in March 2024 and suggested an engine control software update and installation of a drain as a remedy. The affected vehicles were equipped with a 1.5L engine, the US automaker said.
The committee did not recommend replacing the potentially defective fuel injectors. At the time, the recall covered only about 42,000 vehicles.
A month later, the NHTSA opened a recall query, to evaluate the adequacy of Ford's remedy, adding that the proposed fix did not address the root cause of the issue.
After reassessing the issue, Ford said earlier this month that it had found cracked fuel injectors in eight vehicles that experienced underhood fires despite having undergone repairs. Six of those vehicles lacked the updated engine software the company had previously recommended.
Ford also approved a safety recall for previously impacted vehicles, along with others equipped with a 1.5L engine and the relevant engine control software. However, a revised remedy is still under development.
The latest recall affects certain 2021-2024 Bronco Sport and 2020-2022 Escape models among others, the auto safety body said, estimating that 0.3% of all recalled vehicles possess the defect.
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