Ford is the undisputed recall king in the automotive industry right now. It broke its own record for the most recalls ever issued in a single year last year, and it has recalled several million of its vehicles so far this year, too. On Monday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) upgraded a defect investigation into 135,551 2014-to-2021 model year Ford Fiestas, Focuses, and EcoSports powered by the brand’s famously small 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine due to an “unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety.”
As it turns out, the three-cylinder engine, commonly known as the Fox, has proven in NHTSA testing to use a timing belt that may degrade and create debris that clogs the mesh oil pump pick-up screen and starve the engine of oil. The primary concerns are that the issue appears with little-to-no warning, and that the issue is known to occur despite proper and routine oil maintenance.
It’s not a recall just yet, but the NHTSA is one step away from compelling Ford to issue one
To be clear, this is not a recall yet. NHTSA launched an investigatory probe into this Ford powertrain late last year due to owner complaints, and decided to escalate the concern to an Engineering Analysis upon finding that 98% of the engine failures occur prior to the 150,000-mile timing belt replacement interval per the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule. The Engineering Analysis is a required step before NHTSA can seek to compel a Ford recall.
According to The Detroit News, “A driver on a major highway in Wilmington, Delaware reported the oil pressure light illuminated and within 1/8th of a mile the 2017 Ford Focus ‘lost all power and the engine began to sound like a tank.'”
NHTSA’s investigation includes data that shows an average failure mileage of approximately 70,000 miles. In June, Ford reduced the maintenance interval for models with the Fox three-cylinder to 100,000 miles, or six years. Ford told NHTSA it will also offer reimbursement to eligible consumers who previously paid to have their engine repaired or replaced due to a timing belt related issue.
