US auto safety officials announced on Friday that they are looking at the suitability of a 2020 Ford Motor Co (NYSE: F) recall for cars with front braking hoses prone to premature rupture.
NHTSA probing brake hose malfunction in Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ
After getting 50 claims claiming front brake hose malfunction, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched a recall probe into 1.7 million American Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles from 2013 to 2018. For brake hose malfunctions, Ford recalled 488,000 Lincoln MKX and Ford Edge vehicles in the United States in 2020.
Ford declared that it would assist the NHTSA investigation. According to NHTSA, there have been several reports about brake hoses rupturing, leaking braking fluid, and happening suddenly. In addition, the safety agency reported that it is aware of one claimed crash caused by a brake hose failure.
NHTSA probing 2021 Ford Broncos SUVs
The NHTSA is also probing 2021 Ford Broncos SUVs; if the investigation results in a recall, it would be around 25,538 Broncos. According to the regulatory watchdog received 26 complaints from car owners regarding loss of motive powers at highway speeds without restart. The 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6-powered 2021 Ford Broncos are all the troublesome SUVs. This problem is not with the 2.3-liter EcoBoost I4 engine. Instead, the failure of the valve keepers, which secure the valve spring retainers to the valve, seems to be the basis of this problem.
According to NHTSA, “This alleged loss of motor power is a result of catastrophic engine failures due to the valves failing. Ford identified the root cause as the valve ‘keepers’ not holding the retainer in place allowing the valve spring to detach from the valve resulting in interference between the valve and piston. This interference can cause an engine lockup.”
It’s crucial to stress that even though this is a formal NHTSA investigation, there hasn’t been a full recall. Instead, according to NHTSA, the agency decided to launch the inquiry to evaluate the alleged issue’s scope, incidence, and possible safety-related implications.
