Ford Motor Company is recalling 2020-2022 Escape, 2021-2022 Lincoln Corsair and 2022 Maverick vehicles equipped with the 2.5-liter HEV or PHEV engines for fires. In the event of an engine failure, engine oil and fuel vapor may be released into the engine compartment and accumulate near ignition sources such as hot engine or exhaust components, possibly resulting in an engine compartment fire. More than 100,000 of the compact SUVs are affected.*
Owners are advised to park and shut off the engine as quickly as possible if they hear unexpected engine noises, notice a reduction in vehicle power, or see smoke. Owners will be notified by mail and instructed to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the Under-Engine shield and Active Grille-Shutter modified.
Dealers will modify the under-engine shield and active grille shutter, free of charge as required by Federal regulation. Owner notification letters are expected to be sent August 8, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford’s number for this recall is 22S47. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
In the required NHTSA safety defect filing, Ford said that replacement “Under Engine Shields and Active Grille Shutters are modified to redirect and/or purge the engine compartment of engine oil and/or fuel vapor from known ignition sources to reduce the opportunity for under-hood fire. The Under Engine-Shield modification adds additional drain holes. The Active Grille-Shutter modification ensures purge air flow through the engine compartment and reduced under hood temperatures during forward motion and/or cooling fan operation.”
Chronology
- May 4, 2022, an issue pertaining to 2.5L HEV and PHEV under hood fires was brought to Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group (CCRG) for review.
- May 4-June 8, 2022, Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group (CCRG) data analysis revealed 19 field reports of under hood fire or smoke for 2.5L HEV/PHEV vehicles. These reports were reviewed at a June 8, 2022 meeting.
- On June 8, 2022, Ford’s CCRG initiated a stop ship and in-transit stop ship for all affected vehicles.
- Through the remainder of June 2022, Ford continued to research the concern to better understand the reports, trends amongst the reports, scope the population, and understand potential causal factors.
- As of June 22, 2022, Ford’s CCRG has identified 23 warranty and field reports globally of under hood fire or smoke on 2.5L HEV/PHEV engines after a suspected block or oil pan breach.
- The date range of identified reports is April 5, 2021 through May 19, 2022. Of the 23 reports, Ford’s CCRG has categorized the warranty and field reports as: nine describing under hood or vehicle fire, six reporting localized under hood melting, seven describing under hood smoke, and one that did not contain sufficient detail to characterize. The current global 2020-2022MY 2.5L HEV/PHEV rates amongst affected models for block or oil pan breach are 0.17 Reports/1000, of which 0.08 R/1000 include reports of under hood fire and/or smoke.
- Based on elevated occurrences of 2.5L HEV/PHEV under hood fires, the Ford’s CCRG and Technical Review Group recommended a safety recall for the affected vehicles.
- On June 29, 2022, Ford’s Field Review Committee reviewed the concern and approved a field action.
*Ford is not aware of any reports of accident or injury related to this condition.
Ford HEV Fire Recalls: Escape, Maverick, Lincoln Corsair
Ford Motor Company is recalling 2020-2022 Escape, 2021-2022 Lincoln Corsair and 2022 Maverick vehicles equipped with the 2.5-liter HEV or PHEV engines for fires. In the event of an engine failure, engine oil and fuel vapor may be released into the engine compartment and accumulate near ignition sources such as hot engine or exhaust components, possibly resulting in an engine compartment fire. More than 100,000 of the compact SUVs are affected.*
Owners are advised to park and shut off the engine as quickly as possible if they hear unexpected engine noises, notice a reduction in vehicle power, or see smoke. Owners will be notified by mail and instructed to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the Under-Engine shield and Active Grille-Shutter modified.
Dealers will modify the under-engine shield and active grille shutter, free of charge as required by Federal regulation. Owner notification letters are expected to be sent August 8, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford’s number for this recall is 22S47. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
In the required NHTSA safety defect filing, Ford said that replacement “Under Engine Shields and Active Grille Shutters are modified to redirect and/or purge the engine compartment of engine oil and/or fuel vapor from known ignition sources to reduce the opportunity for under-hood fire. The Under Engine-Shield modification adds additional drain holes. The Active Grille-Shutter modification ensures purge air flow through the engine compartment and reduced under hood temperatures during forward motion and/or cooling fan operation.”
Chronology
*Ford is not aware of any reports of accident or injury related to this condition.