In the UK, Ford has pledged to refund owners of some vehicle models equipped with EcoBoost 1.0 litre engines over issues of overheating and associated fire risk. The issue was brought to light again by an investigative report carried out by the BBC, which found out that hundreds of customers said that their 1.0 litre EcoBoost engines had overheated.
The investigation also revealed that customers of 1.6 litre EcoBoost-equipped models had reported that their engines had burst into flames while being driven. Issues with the engine had previously seen safety recalls being made, and not just in the UK.
In the case of the three-cylinder 1.0 litre EcoBoost unit, the issue concerns a coolant pipe located between the engine and coolant tank – the pipe had the potential to fail at high temperatures, and impacted more than 44,000 vehicle fitted with engines produced between October 2011 and October 2013.
The company said that a field service action issued in March 2015 to replace the hoses had been carried out and that 96% of the affected vehicles were rectified. However, as the report indicated, many owners were told they had to pay for repairs. Ford has now said it will cover the cost of repairs and issue a refund to those who have previously paid.
“Ongoing discussions with customers show that Ford needs to go further to ensure reasonable repair costs are covered. With any future cases, subject to being assessed and linked to potential 1.0 litre engine overheating, we will contribute 100% of the cost of repair at a Ford dealer,” the company said.
As for the 1.6 litre EcoBoost, the problem centres around a lack of coolant circulation, which could cause the engine to overheat and can result in a cracked cylinder head, causing a pressurised oil leak – if the oil comes into contact with a hot engine surface, it increases the risk of a fire in the engine compartment.
Ford said it has been aware of the issue on the 1.6 litre EcoBoost since 2012 after several engine fires in the United States. A safety recall was issued in the US in 2014, and in the UK, a recall was issued in January this year to rectify the issue on more than 15,000 affected vehicles. The BBC report highlighted a case of a B299 Fiesta ST which caught fire and was engulfed in flames within six minutes.
Last year, a recall for the 1.6 litre EcoBoost over the same issue was made for 230,756 units of the 2014 Escape (known as the Kuga here), 2014-2015 Fiesta ST, 2013-2014 Fusion (Mondeo) and 2013-2015 Transit Connect in North America.
In Australia, the company also recalled 4,450 units of the 2013-2014 Kuga as well as 400 units of the Fiesta ST last year over the same issue, with seven cases of fire associated with the issue being reported. South Africa had also recalled 4,500 units of the Kuga, again over a fire risk due to a lack of coolant circulation.
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UK only? What about the rest of the world? What about USA?
If in bulihland, customer still have to pay for the repair. Lols.
yeahhh..look at proton cooler hose issue..until now 2 years later no concrete solution being done and yet they sell new cars like no shame at all..like Dr. mahathir says malaysian no shame one..
Cooler hose issue is no problem, can always stop by the roadside for assistance. What about perodua runaway axles? If the axle has flown, what happens to the car and the occupants inside? Then what happens if the flying axles hit other innocents as well? Until now 2 years later no solution or even an apology from this irresponsible company. Perodua is just a company to sell crap and make money from it. No shame & no responsibility at all.
and some more it won engine of the year award…what a joke!
Engine of the year has nothing to do with reliability. Its all about efficiency & performance. The ecoboost was indeed a great concept. But ford is generally bad at making reliable cars.
Deswai pipu buy P2 even it is death trap
I presumed Malaysia is not a such hot country like the other countries…so not likely any Ford overheating engine problem here in Malaysia…:0
I’m a Kuga owner myself. It almost overheated once while driving outstation. Luckily I noticed the increased in temperature early and stopped before anything serious happened. When I got down to check, the coolant hose had already ruptured. It has since been repaired with both the hose and the coolant valve replaced under warranty. I have also heard some similar stories of other Kuga driver in Malaysia.
This downsizing engine has to stop. You gained nothing on efficiency let alone performance by force induction these engines. Only to make the engine working harder and causing more fuel plus maintenance problem. Use proper cc volume engine on proper car segment is the only way. Like the old, say no replacement for displacement.
Manufacturers look to meet US CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) by downsizing. On top of that, California strict emissions regulations are even stricter than (Federal) EPA emissions. The US being one of the biggest market in the world, forces manufacturers to find ways to meet these regulations, if they want to continue selling in the US.
@ Mr Hakim Well Said!
1.6 EcoBoost known issue since 2012, US safety recall 2014, UK recall Jan 2018 !!!!
W-O-W !! Talk about being proactive.
FYI. In Bangkok (on 21 Sept 2018), a class-action lawsuit suit was won against Ford Thailand for issues involving PowerShift transmission (DPS6). Ford to pay THB 23 Million compensation to 291 Ford car owners.
im wondering generally what would happen to engineers who design faulty parts? fired or called to fixed it?
Buy Toyota or Honda only. Forget the rest. Boleh tidur nyenyak ….
Previously I am a FOFI ecoboost user, and yes my car went overheat, no sign of coolent loss, spare tank still got plenty of coolant, no weird sound, no power loss , temp never goes up, died next day.
Buy T n H or any non turbo cars , peace of mind .