Feds have ‘significant safety concerns’ about Ford fuel leak recall and demand answers about the fix

DETROIT– Federal investigators say they have “significant safety concerns” about a Ford SUV recall that fails to fix gasoline leaks that could cause engine fires.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is demanding large amounts of information from the automaker as it investigates the remedy in a March 8 recall of nearly 43,000 Bronco Sport SUVs from the 2022 and 2023 model years, and 2022 Escape SUVs. All have a capacity of 1.5 litres. engines.

Ford says the SUVs have fuel injectors that can burst, causing gas or vapor to leak near hot engine parts, causing fires, fuel odors and an increased risk of injury.

In an April 25 letter to Ford that was released Thursday, the agency’s Office of Defects Investigation wrote that based on its review of the recall repairs, it “believes that the remedy program does not address the root cause of the problem and is not proactively calls for the replacement of defective fuel injectors before they fail.”

Ford’s solution to the leaks is to add a drain tube to direct the gas away from hot surfaces, and a software update to detect a pressure drop in the fuel injection system. When that happens, the software turns off the high-pressure fuel pump, reduces engine power and lowers the temperature in the engine compartment. Owners will also receive a “get help” message.

But in the 11-page letter to the automaker, the agency asks Ford to detail what tests it performed to verify whether the fix resolved the problem and whether hardware repairs are needed. The company is also asked to explain any other solutions that were considered and any cost-benefit analyzes that the company conducted when choosing the solution.

Safety advocates have said Ford is trying to avoid the expense of replacing the fuel injectors and instead opting for a cheaper solution that drains gasoline to the ground.

A message was left Thursday seeking comment from Ford, which has said in the past it is cooperating with the investigation.

NHTSA is also asking Ford for details on how the software will detect a drop in fuel pressure, how much time will pass between cracking and detection, and what messages will be sent to the driver. It also asks what effect turning off the high-pressure fuel pump will have on other parts of the fuel system, and how the SUVs will perform with the pump turned off.

The agency also wants to know how much fuel will leak and whether the amount meets federal environmental and safety standards. And the company wants to hear how Ford is meeting its obligations (legal, ethical, environmental and other) to prevent and/or limit fuel spills on the roadway at any time during a vehicle’s life.

Ford must provide information to the agency by June 21, the letter said. Depending on the results of the investigation, the agency may make additional repairs to address the fuel leaks.

The company has said in documents that it has reports of five under-hood fires and 14 fuel injector replacements under warranty, but no reports of crashes or injuries.

In an earlier email, Ford said it is not replacing the fuel injectors because it is confident the recall repairs “will prevent the failure and protect the customer.” The new software activates a warning light on the dashboard and allows customers to drive to a safe location, stop the vehicle and schedule service, the company said. NHTSA documents filed by Ford say the problem only affects about 1% of SUVs.

The company also said it will expand warranty coverage for cracked fuel injectors so that owners who experience the problem will receive replacements. Repairs are already available and extended warranty details will be available in June, Ford said.

According to Ford, the recall is an extension of a 2022 recall for the same problem. The repair has already been tested on vehicles involved in the previous recall, and Ford said it has no known issues.

The company also said it does not recommend parking the SUVs alone outdoors because there is no evidence of fires starting when vehicles are parked and the engines are turned off.

NHTSA said in documents that Ford’s 2022 recall, which covered nearly 522,000 Bronco Sports and Escapes, had the same fix as the last recall.