RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Ford Motor Company is urging owners of around 518,993 SUVs to take their vehicles back to the dealership to be inspected for cracked fuel injectors.
According to a release on Ford’s website, some 2020-2023 Bronco Sport and Escape SUVs with 3-cylinder, 1.5L engines may have cracked fuel injectors, which can cause fuel or fuel vapors to accumulate near hot surfaces while the engine is running, potentially starting a fire under the hood.
Ford is taking steps to minimize the risk of fire in these vehicles by updating the engine software to detect whether the fuel injector is cracked and alert the driver. Also, if a pressure drop is detected, power to the engine with automatically be reduced to allow the driver to drive to a safe place to arrange for service.
Ford is also offering free pick-up, repair and delivery for drivers affected by this issue. Ford will install a tube which will drain fuel from the vehicles’ cylinder heads away from hot surfaces and check for the smell of fuel near the top of the engine, which is an indicator of a possible issue.
“Taking care of our customers who are affected by this potential issue is our utmost priority,” said Jim Azzouz, Executive Director of Global CX Products & Customer Relations at Ford. “Once the repair is available, we will ask customers to schedule service with their preferred dealer. They can then take advantage of our complimentary pickup and delivery or a loaner to make sure the repair is completed at their earliest convenience.”
