Ford SUV recall: Why the feds are worried about fixing fuel leak

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

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is demanding volumes of information from the automaker as it investigates the fix in a March 8 recall of nearly 43,000 Bronco Sport SUVs from the 2022 and 2023 model years, and 2022 Escape SUVs. of 1.5 liters. engines.

Ford says SUVs have fuel injectors that crack, allowing gas or vapor to leak near hot engine parts, which can cause fires, fuel odors and increase the risk of injury.

In an April 25 letter to Ford released Thursday, the agency’s Office of Defects Investigation wrote that based on its analysis of the recall repairs, it “believes the repair program does not address the root cause of the problem and does not proactively request the replacement of faulty fuel injectors prior to their failure.”

Ford’s solution to the leaks is to add a drain tube to move gas away from hot surfaces and a software update to detect a pressure drop in the fuel injection system. If this happens, the software will disable the high-pressure fuel pump, reduce engine power, and reduce temperatures in the engine compartment. Homeowners will also receive a “seek service” message.

But in the 11-page letter to the automaker, the agency asks Ford to detail all the tests it did to see if the solution resolved the problem and if hardware repairs are needed. It also asks the company to explain any other solutions that were considered and any cost-benefit analysis the company did when choosing the solution.

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

Ford said Thursday it is working with the NHTSA during its investigation.

NHTSA is also asking Ford to detail how the software will detect a drop in fuel pressure, how long it takes between the crack and detection, and what messages will be sent to the driver. He also asks what effect disabling the high-pressure fuel pump has on other parts of the fuel system and how SUVs will run when the pump is disabled.

The agency also wants to know how much fuel will leak and whether the amount meets federal environmental and safety standards. And he wants to hear Ford’s opinion on “its obligations (legal, ethical, environmental and other) to prevent and/or limit fuel leakage on the road at any time during the useful life of a vehicle”.

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

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

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

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

The recall is an extension of a 2022 recall for the same issue, according to Ford. The fix has already been tested on vehicles involved in the previous recall and Ford said it is not aware of any problems.

The company also said it does not recommend that SUVs be parked outdoors only because there is no evidence that fires occur when the vehicles are parked and the engines are turned off.

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