Urgent Recall for Ford Escape and Bronco Sport Due to Fire Hazard

Ford announces a recall for over 42,000 Escape and Bronco Sport vehicles to address a critical fire risk linked to a fuel injector issue.

Ford is facing ongoing challenges with the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the Escape and Bronco Sport models, prompting another recall due to fire hazards. This latest recall impacts vehicles manufactured between October 17, 2022, and December 15, 2023, totaling 42,652 units — 20,382 Escapes from the 2022 model year and 22,270 Bronco Sports from the 2022-2023 model years. The concern centers around a fuel injector that may crack, potentially causing fuel to leak onto hot surfaces and ignite.

This issue is not new to Ford, as a similar problem led to the recall of 521,778 Escapes and Bronco Sports across the 2020-2023 model years. The recent recall arises because a previously attempted solution, involving the introduction of a fuel injector with a smaller knurl diameter in October 2022, did not fully resolve the leakage issue. Ford had hoped this new part would be less prone to cracking and had initially opted not to include software that detects a pressure drop in the fuel rail and reduces power to mitigate fire risks.

However, following at least five reported under-hood fires since the introduction of the updated fuel injector, Ford is now taking additional steps. The company plans to install software in the affected vehicles that can detect a drop in fuel rail pressure and cut power to prevent fires. Additionally, a drain tube will be added to help divert any leaking fuel away from hot engine components. Ford will carry out these updates at no charge to vehicle owners and has not reported any accidents or injuries related to this issue.