The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened its fair share of investigations into Ford over the past several months, with inquiries including a high-voltage battery connector recall for the Ford Mustang Mach-E, two recalls pertaining to the powertrain control module (PCM) and rear axle mounting bolt in the Ford Explorer, Ford EcoSport engine failures, and engine issues pertaining to Ford Bronco models equipped with the twin-turbocharged 2.7L V6 EcoBoost. Now, the NHTSA has opened yet another investigation involving The Blue Oval, this time over a series of EcoBoost engine failures.
This new investigation pertains to a variety of FoMoCo models, including an estimated 708,837 examples of the 2021-2022 Ford Bronco, Ford Edge, Ford Explorer, Ford F-150, Lincoln Aviator, and Lincoln Nautilus. It alleges that these vehicles – equipped with either the 2.7L V6 EcoBoost or 3.0L V6 EcoBoost – may experience a loss of power without warning, during normal driving circumstances, and may also fail to restart due to “catastrophic engine failure.”
This failure is being attributed to a faulty intake valve design utilized in these powerplants, which can fracture under certain circumstances. Ford told the NHTSA that these defective valves were produced using an alloy known as “Silchrome Lite,” which can become extremely hard and brittle in the event that it’s exposed to extremely high temperatures during the machining process.
Back in October 2021, the manufacturing process for these intake valves was changed, and newer versions of that part are made from “Silichrome 1,” which is less susceptible to this problem. Ford notes that the defective valves tend to fail early in the life of the engine – typically within just a few hundred or thousands of miles – and also informed the NHTSA that most of the resulting engine failures have already occurred.
We’ll have more on this investigation soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.
Update: Ford’s manager of corporate communications, Maria Buczkowski, reached out to Ford Authority to clarify that this NHTSA investigation isn’t new, as it was originally opened in May 2022. However, it is an upgrade/expansion of that original investigation in which the NHTSA will do engineering analysis as part of the next step in this process.
Comments
The recalls at Ford are really bad in the last two years. sounds like these people are being hung out to dry. when we bought our Expedition in 2021 our son told us to make sure we change oil in eco boost every 3K miles no matter what any one says. . God I love my diesels in my F350 and High country 2500 HD.
Sounds like Sillychrome to me. We keep hearing how they torture test the engines prior to production. This should have been caught! Maybe it was and they decided they couldn’t afford another delay after the 5 year “launch” 🙄
The 2.7 was basically Bullet Proof from 2015-2020. It wasn’t however “Bean Counter Proof”. I wonder what they saved switching the intake valves to Silchrome lite for 2021? $10 an engine? More? Less? It’ll cost them more in recalls and customers. Good job Ford. Where “saving money” (wink wink) is job 1!
Have they investigated the defective eco boost 2.0 that leaks coolant into the cylinders? My 2017 Edge needed a new engine shortly after the warranty expired. There has never been a recall for this.
I have Ford edge sitting in the drive with the same problem, with 10,000 owed on it. I took it to the Ford dealership to get checked they told me the head was cracked. And leaking oil into the coolant.
Amen brother, I’m in a similar situation, I’m, a co owner with my daughter a single mother of 2 with little money to spare each month, was told her 2016 needs a new motor . All I hear is DAD ,not fair ,not fair
I called the corporate office of Ford motor company. There needs to be more calls and more complaints to get something done here.
Maybe Furd should quit worrying about patents and fix the crap they make everyday.
Thankfully my 2015 F150 with 2.7 Ecoboost is still running strong! A scary thought for a first Gen engine. 86,000 miles but I do change the oil every 5,000 miles with full synthetic fomoco oil! I guess I’m lucky and happy!
Ford has other issues
They’re using a wet belt that has been a failure point.
The 2.7 has this belt, the 3cyl 1 or 1.3 l (can’t remember) has this belt.
Fords engineering has been very spooky lately…
Had a 3.5 ecoboost that failed at 220K. Frankly, a truck engine should go longer than that. I don’t think the boosted gas engine is the way to go. Can blame the feds for all of this
I have a 2017 escape with the 2.0 ecboost at 65000 miles I had the same problem as the 21 model. I put engine block sealer in it It worked for awhile I had do it more than once. I saw an a rticle a few months ago that Ford was having trouble with 2016 2017 and 2018’s. Are they going have a recall on these models?
I have a 2017 150, 000 miles that coolant is leaking into oil. It’s the 2.0 2017 Ford edge. We enough complaints to get a recall.
On a recent oil change on my 2019 ford edge st 2.7 liter, my mechanic told me there was GAS in the OIL. Is this possible?
Ford cars and trucks get worse every year. The recalls and design flaws are just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many other companies with better brands and quality. Ford should design garbage trucks. That way, they wouldn’t have to go far to dump them.
Just got the news that our 2017 Explorer with 2.3L Ecoboost needs a new engine AND transmission at 79000 miles. All highway and fluids changed religiously.
I have a 2013 F150 3.5 Twin Turbo Ecoboost with 70k miles when the engine failed. Bought a reman engine from Fraser Engines and it was CRAP TOO. Drove the remanufactured engine maybe 5000 miles before it failed. BOTH OF MY FAILURES WERE THE TIMING CHAIN. Original motor it exploded and the reman had low oil pressure (even after replacing all sensors) and a timing chain code. Now I am going to get one directly from Ford and hope for the best. FORD has a MAJOR ENGINE FAILURE with their Eboboost engines. In the meantime of all this I haven’t had a vehicle since the SUMMER of 2021 when it initially failed.
My 2014 F150 with echoboost engine had a catastrophic engine failure at 119000 miles. Do I have any recourse with ford?
I have a 2017 Ford edge with 2.0 eco boost 70k and 1 month off extended warranty engine failed. Ford said I qualified for Ford Motor company to pay up to 50% of new engine replacement. Dealership sent quote to Ford nothing for 8 months Martin Gwynn who handling my customer request for Ford Motor company has went silent doesn’t return calls or emails. Been making $441.00 payment since January 2023 on a defective Ford motor design. Transportation board is worthless so is State consumer affairs. Only thing I get from Ford Motor company is they want to Thank me for being a loyal Ford customer. Never again will we buy Ford!
I have a 2017 explorer 2.3 EcoBoost it has the block that allows the coolant to leak in also but it also causes a pressure problem that will cause the transmission to go bad from that I’m fighting with ford now to replace the motor because of the defect after just paying 5k to fix the trans this past oct 2023 which is the second time my transmission has gone bad the Ford mechanic explained to me that the cause is from the engine misfiring from the coolant intrusion
3.5 ecoboost 2014 losing oin and antifreeze
2018 Escape why don’t these engines have a real head gasket on the EcoBoost motors? Should I do oil changes with Mobil 1?
I am fortunate most of my life I’ve always looked for your 302s they were always good reliable engines. Friends of mine always looked for your 300 straight six, which is one of your most bulletproof engines you need to get back to this train of thought, engines that people are proud of, not laugh at which is your current crop of engines.
I have 2017 ford fusion EcoBoost with only 65000 miles and I am having to replace the engine,because Ford says the serial number on my car is not in the recall. It is a 1.5 L