The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced on July 15 that Ford Motor Company is recalling more than 694,000 Bronco Sport and Escape vehicles with fuel injectors that may crack and leak fuel inside the engine compartment.
The news sent Ford’s shares tumbling during the early morning session on July 16 after the Detroit automaker said the increase in recalls reflects the company’s strategy “to quickly find and fix hardware and software issues and go the extra mile to help protect customers.”
“Ford has more than doubled its team of safety and technical experts in the past two years and significantly increased testing to failure on critical systems in current Ford vehicles, such as powertrains, steering and braking. Insights from this testing are being incorporated into current production,” Ford’s chief operating officer, Kumar Galhotra, said in a statement on the company’s website.
Galhotra said Ford is making progress on software quality, utilizing an enhanced software validation process to ensure the correct software is present on vehicles and employing over-the-air updates to address potential warranty issues before they become customer issues.
“Modern digital safety systems require new talent, tools, and standards. Ford has deeply invested in those capabilities like connected data signaling and dramatically increased testing on all new products across broad variations in customer use,” he said.
“In applying these new standards, we can and do find issues that exist on earlier model years, including ones that have not even been reported. We will not compromise our responsibility to all our customers, not just those buying new vehicles.”
According to the NHTSA, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the current recalls affect the fuel-injection systems of 694,271 Bronco Sport vehicles from 2021–24 and 2020–22 Escape models equipped with 1.5-liter engines. This recall expands and replaces previous recall numbers 22V-859, 24V187, and 25V165. Vehicles previously repaired under these recall numbers will need to have the new final remedy performed once it becomes available.
In its report submitted to the NHTSA on July 11, Ford stated that the affected fuel injectors were introduced into production on Feb. 5, 2020, and removed from production over four years later, on Feb. 8, 2024. Ford explained that a fuel injector could crack, leading to fuel or vapor migrating to and accumulating near ignition sources, which could result in an underhood fire.
In late May, Ford held a meeting with NHTSA and provided DOT officials with a full technical briefing on their concerns regarding the recall remedies. Ford had a follow-up meeting with NHTSA on June 10, during which Ford presented its latest findings on the root cause, the current and projected occurrence rates of injector cracking, the potential for fuel leakage on roadways, and evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of the remedy in preventing underhood fires.
As part of this review, Ford and NHTSA discussed whether the remedy fully addressed the risks associated with fires and fuel spillage on roadways caused by cracked injectors.
On July 7, Ford’s Field Review Committee reviewed the concern and approved a field action to initiate a safety recall with a to-be-determined remedy for vehicles previously recalled, as well as an additional group of vehicles produced with the 1.5-liter engine and the updated engine control software.
As noted, Ford is currently developing a solution for both recalls, which updates the engine control software to detect a cracked fuel injector and activates a strategy to disable the high-pressure fuel pump, reduce engine power, and lower the temperatures of potential ignition sources in the engine compartment.
As an interim fix, Ford dealers will update the engine control software at no cost to owners. Ford stated it will notify dealers on July 16, while mailing interim owner notification letters with guidance on the remedy is scheduled to start on Aug. 18 and is expected to finish by Aug. 22. The timing for mailing remedy owner notification letters has not been decided yet, as the solution for this recall is still being developed.
The current recall comes just over a month after Ford recalled nearly 200,000 of its popular crossover electric SUVs due to a problem that could trap children and passengers in the back seat without a way to enter or exit the vehicle.
On June 13, Ford issued a recall for 197,432 of its 2021–25 Mustang Mach-E vehicles. The company indicated that if the battery charge drops below 8.4 volts, the electronic door latches on the SUVs might stay locked after the driver or front passenger leaves and closes the door. It also stated that the problem could “possibly trap someone unable to use the inside door release handles, such as a child in the back seat.”
The ongoing repairs point to a troubling pattern in quality control and safety concerns within the Detroit automaker’s 2025 recall efforts, with over 80 recalls issued so far. With only half the year gone, this number already exceeds the 63 recalls reported last year, according to NHTSA data.
Ford is expected to release its second-quarter earnings on July 30, where the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker will likely discuss its recall issues with Wall Street analysts.
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