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Ford has issued a safety recall for more than 500,000 SUVs in the U.S. due to the risk of damaged fuel injectors causing a fire.
Why it matters: Ford said Thursday that if the engine is running, a cracked fuel injector could leak fuel or vapor near hot surfaces, which could spark flames under the hood.
Driving the news: The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration sent a letter to Michigan-based Ford Motor Company on Wednesday acknowledging the automaker's recall report, filed last week.
- The recall affects a total of 521,778 Ford SUVs in the U.S., per the report.
- That includes 333,342 Escape vehicles made between 2020 and 2023, and 188,436 Bronco Sport vehicles made between 2021 and 2023, all with 1.5L engines.
- Ford has received 20 reports of fires so far, according to AP, and the worldwide total of affected vehicles is more than 630,000.
What's next: To help fix the safety issue, Ford plans to update the vehicles' engine control software so it can detect a cracked fuel injector and prompt a dashboard message, Ford said in a statement.
- In addition, the updated software will detect pressure drops in the fuel rail and automatically reduce engine power.
- Customers do not have to stop driving affected vehicles under this recall, Ford said.
What they're saying: "Once the repair is available, we will ask customers to schedule service with their preferred dealer," Jim Azzouz, executive director of customer relations, said in the statement.
- Ford will offer free pickup and delivery or loan a car to impacted customers.
- Affected customers are expected to be notified by Ford by mail starting Dec. 19, per the NHTSA.
- Owners can also contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.