US auto safety agency raises concerns over Ford SUV fuel leak recall

A US auto safety agency expressed "significant safety concerns" on Thursday regarding Ford Motor's recall of over 42,000 SUVs due to potential fuel leaks that could result in engine fires.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) disclosed last month that it had initiated an investigation into the adequacy and safety implications of Ford's proposed recall solution for the 2022-2023 model year Bronco Sport and 2022 Ford Escape SUVs equipped with 1.5L engines.

The second-largest US automaker indicated that a fuel injector defect might lead to fuel leakage, posing the risk of an underhood fire.

Ford's proposed remedy entails an engine control software update and the installation of a drain. However, it does not include the replacement of the faulty fuel injectors that could potentially crack.

In a letter addressed to Ford and publicly released on Thursday, NHTSA criticized Ford's plan for failing to address the root cause of the issue and for not proactively advocating the replacement of defective fuel injectors before their failure. The agency underscored its "significant safety concerns" in this regard.

NHTSA has requested Ford to respond to a series of detailed inquiries regarding the recall by June 21, including how it arrived at the proposed remedy.

Ford reiterated on Friday that it is collaborating with NHTSA to assist in the agency's investigation.

Last month, Ford acknowledged being aware of five underhood fires involving 1.5L Escape and Bronco Sport vehicles within the new recall population. However, it noted no reports of accidents or injuries associated with the problem.

The software update proposed by Ford will detect a pressure drop in the fuel rail, issuing a "seek service" message to the driver and disabling the high-pressure fuel pump to reduce engine power output and mitigate the risk of ignition sources.

In 2022, Ford had recalled nearly 522,000 2020-2023 Ford Escape and 2021-2023 Ford Bronco Sport vehicles for the same issue, offering the same remedy, according to NHTSA.

In late 2022, Ford reported to NHTSA a total of 54 incidents involving underhood fires in 2020-2022 Bronco Sport and Escape vehicles equipped with the 1.5L engine in North America, along with reports of four injuries in two incidents.

(With Reuters inputs)