In October 2018, Ford recalled 1.5 million select Ford Focus cars to sort out an issue that could have led to an engine stall and an inability to restart the vehicle — an issue that the automaker said could “increase the risk of a crash.”
This week it emerged that just over 58,000 of the Ford vehicles that went in for the fix never actually had it done. So the automaker is recalling them again.
Vehicles being called in for a second time were built at Ford’s assembly plant in Wayne, Michigan, and include:
- 2012 and 2017 Focus vehicles with 2.0-liter GDI engines built from October 7, 2010, to July 23, 2012, and from August 24, 2016, to April 13, 2017
- 2013-14 Focus ST vehicles with 2.0-liter GTDI engines built from May 3, 2012, to December 11, 2014
Ford said 57,400 of the recalled cars are registered in the U.S., with around 400 in Canada and 480 in Mexico. The reference number for this recall is 19S22, and Ford’s contact details, should you need to get in touch, can be found here.
In a notice released on Tuesday, July 9, explaining the fault, Ford said the powertrain control module in some vehicles failed to receive the intended software update during the original recall.
Affected vehicles are equipped with a canister purge valve that has the potential to become stuck in an open position. Should this happen, an excessive vacuum in the fuel system could deform the vehicle’s plastic fuel tank, which may result in a malfunctioning indicator light, an inaccurate or erratic fuel gauge, driveability concerns, or a loss of motive power — a situation that could place the vehicle and its occupants in danger, depending on where and when it occurs.
The software update enables the vehicle to detect a malfunctioning canister purge valve and prevent a potential excessive vacuum condition from taking place, Ford said.
As a safety precaution, any customer whose vehicle is part of the recall is being advised by Ford to maintain at least a half tank of fuel until the work has been carried out.
The fix, which hopefully will actually take place this time around, will involve dealers reprogramming the powertrain control module with the appropriate software calibration, as well as replacing the canister purge valve, if it needs doing.
“If the canister purge valve is replaced, dealers will inspect and replace the carbon canister, fuel tank and fuel delivery module, as necessary,” the automaker said.
Ford said that up to now it has not received any accident or injury reports related to the issue.
