The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has officially closed its investigation into a potential engine defect affecting over 411,000 Ford SUVs and pickup trucks.
The issue stemmed from faulty intake valves, which could cause the vehicles to lose power suddenly without warning.
The investigation began in July 2022, initially targeting Ford Broncos with 2.7L EcoBoost engines, and was later expanded to include the Ford F-150, Edge, Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and Nautilus models from the 2021 and 2022 model years.
The concern was that the engine valves might fracture, fall into the combustion chamber, and cause catastrophic engine damage.
Ford discovered that the valves, produced between May and October 2021, were too brittle due to high manufacturing temperatures.
The issue primarily affected vehicles with fewer than 20,000 miles, with more than half of failures occurring before the vehicles reached 5,000 miles.
In response, Ford issued a recall for 90,000 vehicles and extended the warranty for affected models to 10 years or 150,000 miles.
The automaker also modified the intake valve material for vehicles produced after October 2021 to prevent further issues. Fortunately, there have been no reports of accidents or injuries related to this defect.
