DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford The car company is remember In over 634,000 SUVs worldwide, a cracked fuel injector can spill fuel or leak vapor into a hot engine and cause a fire.
The recall includes Sports Bronco and Escape SUVs from the 2020 to 2023 model years. All have 1.5-litre, three-cylinder engines.
The Dearborn, Michigan automaker said on Thursday that it does not recommend that owners stop driving or park their vehicles outdoors because fires are rare and don’t usually happen with the engine off.
But Ford said it had received 20 reports of fires, including three that burned nearby structures. The company also said it had four complaints of fires that occurred less than five minutes after the engine was turned off. Ford also has four non-burn injury claims and 43 legal claims as a result of the issue.
Repair is not yet available, but once it is, owners should schedule service with priority seller, Jim Azzouz, executive director of customer experience, said in a statement. Owners will be notified by mail starting December 19.
Owners can bring their SUVs to the dealership and have them loaned out for free, or they can get free pickup and delivery.
Dealers will inspect the injectors and replace them if necessary. Ford also said that it was Warranty extension to cover cracked fuel injectors up to 15 years.
Dealers will update the vehicle’s engine control software to detect cracked injectors. The driver will receive a console message to get the service. Additionally, if there is a drop in pressure in the injectors, engine power will be cut off to reduce the risk and allow the driver to get to a safe location to stop and call for service, Ford said.
They will also install a hose to drain the fuel from the cylinder head and away from hot surfaces.
Ford says it doesn’t replace the injectors because of low leak failure rates, estimated at 0.38% for 2020 models and 0.22% for 2021 to 2022 models. 15 years or 150,000 miles (240,000 km).
