Ford recalls over 125,000 crossovers, trucks over fire risk

Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than 125,000 crossovers and trucks in the U.S. due to the risk of an engine compartment fire, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website showed on Tuesday.

The recall, which expands on a similar recall from a year earlier, covers some Escape and Lincoln Corsair crossovers and Maverick compact pickup trucks manufactured between 2020 and 2023 equipped with 2.5L Hybrid/Plug-In Hybrid motors.

"In the event of an engine failure, engine oil and fuel vapor may be released into the engine compartment and accumulate near ignition sources such as hot engine or exhaust components, possibly resulting in an engine compartment fire," the NHTSA said.

Ford initially recalled 100,000 Escape, Corsair and Maverick in the U.S. in July 2022 after identifying 23 reports globally of a fire or smoke after a suspected block or oil pan breach.

Ford said on Tuesday it had reports of at least three vehicles that suffered fires after getting the 2022 recall fix.

Ford and NHTSA advised owners to park and shut off the engine if they hear unexpected engine noises, notice a reduction in vehicle power, or see smoke.

Ford said the new recall fix is under development.

More recalls

The U.S. automaker last week said it was recalling 142,000 Lincoln MKC crossovers in the country while it investigates the cause of under-hood fires in the model.

So far in 2023, Ford leads the auto industry with 27 recalls totaling more than 3.1 million vehicles, NHTSA data shows.