Ford News: Ford Recalls 1.5 Million Focuses For Stalling Issue

[William Maley]

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Ford announced a sizeable recall of 1.5 million Focuses from the 2012-2018 model year equipped with the naturally-aspirated and turbocharged variants of the 2.0L engine.

The issue deals with the engine's fuel system, specifically the canister purge valve. This valve allows fuel vapor to circulate but may become stuck open. Plus, the powertrain control module which monitors the valve may malfunction. The end result is a malformed gas tank due to excessive vacuum, which in turn will cause the check engine to come on; the fuel gauge will start acting weird; and may cause the car to stall - the latter being a safety issue.

The recall is the result of a number of complaints filed to NHTSA on the loss of power in 2012-2014 Focus models. After sharing data, both NHTSA and Ford decided a recall was a smart idea. The good news is that no accidents or injuries related to this problem have been reported.

The total amount of vehicles involved breaks down like this,

• U.S.: 1,282,596
• Canada: 136,272
• Mexico: 44,521

What's the fix? Dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module that will allow for better detection if the valve does become stuck. The fuel system will be inspected and parts will be replaced if necessary.

For the time being, Ford is asking owners to keep their Focus' gas tank half-filled until they can get their vehicle in for repair. The recall notice is expected to be sent in the mail beginning in December.

Source: Ford

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Ford Motor Company Issues Recall In North America For Select 2012-18 Ford Focus Vehicles For Malfunctioning Canister Purge Valve

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 25, 2018 – Ford is issuing a recall for approximately 1.5 million select 2012-18 Ford Focus vehicles equipped with 2.0-liter GDI and 2.0-liter GTDI engines for a malfunctioning canister purge valve.

Affected vehicles are equipped with a canister purge valve that may become stuck in an open position. If this occurs, an excessive vacuum in the fuel system could cause deformation of the vehicle’s plastic fuel tank. As a result, the customer could observe a malfunction indicator light or a fuel gauge with fluctuating or inaccurate fuel levels. This could lead to a stall while driving and/or an inability to restart the vehicle, which can increase the risk of a crash.

Ford is not aware of any accidents, injuries or fires as a result of this condition.

Affected vehicles include 2012-18 Ford Focus 2.0-liter GDI vehicles built at Michigan Assembly Plant prior to April 13, 2017 and 2.0-liter GTDI vehicles built prior to Feb. 2, 2018.

There are approximately 1,463,389 vehicles in North America relating to this concern, with 1,282,596 in the United States and federalized territories, 136,272 in Canada and 44,521 in Mexico. The Ford reference number for this recall is 18S32.

Dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module with new software that will detect a malfunctioning canister purge valve and prevent a potential excessive fuel vapor system vacuum condition from occurring. Dealers will inspect and replace the canister purge valve, carbon canister, fuel tank and fuel delivery module, as necessary. There will be no charge for these services. Customers should maintain at least a half tank of fuel until the recall is completed.

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