The Ford fuel leak recall has led Federal investigators to state that they have major security concerns and have asked the car manufacturer how the measures initiated will fix gasoline leaks that can cause engine fires.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has asked for exhaustive information about the remedial measures to fix fuel leak problems in the March 8 recall of nearly 43,000 Bronco Sport SUVs from the 2022 and 2023 model years and Escape SUVs from 2022. All the recalled models feature 1.5-liter engines.
Ford’s Fuel Leak Recall
The recalled SUVs featured fuel injectors that could crack and lead to gas or vapor leaks near hot engine parts, causing fires, fuel odors, and an increased risk of injuries.
However, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Office of Defects Investigation, in a letter dated April 25 addressed to Ford, stated that the remedial actions initiated by Ford do not address the root causes of the fuel leak nor do they call for the replacement of the defective part before its failure.
The remedial measures initiated by Ford include a drain tube that will send the gas or leaked fuel away from the hot surfaces. It also includes a software tweak that will detect the fall in pressure in the fuel injection system. This will initiate a process that includes disabling the high-pressure fuel pump, reducing engine power and cutting temperatures in the engine compartment, and a “seek service” message that will alert the vehicle’s driver.
The Agency put forth a questionnaire to Ford asking the following:
- Has Ford initiated any testing to confirm that the measures have solved the problem?
- Is there any need for hardware repairs?
- Did the company conduct any cost-benefit analysis while picking the fix?
- How will the software detect the fuel pressure drop?
- How much time elapses between cracking and detection?
- What messages will be sent to the driver?
- What will be the effect of disabling the high-pressure fuel pump on other engine parts, and how will the vehicle perform after the pump is disabled?
- Does the leaked fuel conform to federal environmental and safety standards?
- Will Ford undertake an obligation to prevent or limit the fuel leakage onto the roadway at any point during a vehicle’s lifespan?
Critics have said that Ford is deliberately avoiding the cost of changing the fuel injectors and has opted for a cheaper option of draining gasoline to the ground. Ford has, however, stated that there are only five under-hood fires and 14 warranty replacements of fuel injectors, and it is not aware of crashes or injuries as a result of the issue.
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