US probes Ford’s fix for fuel leak in Broncos

DETROIT — The U.S. government’s auto safety agency has opened an investigation into a Ford recall for gasoline leaks from cracked fuel injectors that can cause engine fires, saying in documents that the remedy doesn’t fix the leaks.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in documents posted Friday that the probe will “evaluate the adequacy and safety consequences of the remedy” that Ford specifies in the recall.

The recall covers nearly 43,000 Ford Bronco Sport SUVs from the 2022 and 2023 model years, and Escape SUVs from 2022.

NHTSA said fuel injectors can crack, causing gasoline or vapors to leak onto hot surfaces in the engine compartment.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Ford’s remedy for the leaks is to add a drain tube to send gas away from hot surfaces, plus a software update to detect a pressure drop in the fuel injection system. If that happens, the software will disable the high-pressure fuel pump, reduce engine power and cut temperatures in the engine compartment. Owners also will get a “seek service” message.

But NHTSA said Friday that Ford’s fix lets fuel drain from a cylinder head hole to the ground below the vehicles: “The recall remedy does not include replacement of the cracked fuel injector.”

Ford said Friday that it is working with NHTSA on the investigation.

The company said in documents that it has reports of five under-hood fires, but no reports of crashes or injuries.

In an email, Ford said it is not replacing fuel injectors because it is confident that the recall repairs “will prevent the failure from occurring and protect the customer.”