As Ford Authority previously reported, select Ford EcoBoost engines used in Ford Focus, Ford Fiesta, and Ford EcoSport models were experiencing failures that prompted an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and a subsequent recall that was just issued last month. A lawsuit was later filed over this same issue – which Ford has asked the court to dismiss – noting that the 13 plaintiffs involved in the case have not taken their vehicles in to have recall-related repairs performed. Now, the automaker has received a bit of good news regarding this ongoing Ford EcoBoost saga, as the NHTSA has officially closed its investigation into the matter.
The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened its investigation last September after it received a total of 95 customer complaints regarding engine failure caused by a loss of oil pressure. Some of those owners reported that the low engine oil pressure warning light illuminates, after which they experience an immediate loss or reduction of power while the vehicle is in motion.
The agency previously noted that this problem may be caused by an oil pump failure, and added that an engine replacement is typically required after a customer suffers a loss of oil pressure. Thus, it opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to determine just how severe the issue was, as well as how many total vehicles it might effect before taking further action.
Ultimately, the investigation revealed that the engine oil pump drive belt tensioner arm in affected vehicles may fracture, separate from the tensioner backing plate, and/or the oil pump drive belt may degrade and lose teeth, which is what could lead to a loss of engine oil pressure. The NHTSA ultimately decided to close its investigation after Ford issued the aforementioned recall, noting that “the recall remedy provides the replacement of the oil pump drive belt tensioner assembly and oil pump drive belt with redesigned parts to improve robustness.” However, as is always the case, the agency reserves the right to take additional action if needed.
We’ll have more on this matter soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford EcoSport news, Ford Focus news, Ford Fiesta news, and non-stop Ford news coverage.
Comments
What about the Escape eco boost engine failures, my 2017 1.5se escape’s engine with 92k died over a month ago, sitting at a ford maintenance lot, with a price tag of 13k to replace the engine, the problem was all internal, Ford should be responsible for fixing or replacing the engine with a better designed version…
My 2017 Ford Edge I just bought for 14000 just died due to a cracked head. I’m really angry.