At the start of this month Toyota announced that they are to recall 102,000 vehicles to replace a potentially dangerous engine fault. Now it would appear it is the turn of Ford and Lincoln (a wholly owned Ford subsidiary).
The recall covers some 90,000 pick-ups and SUVs with the 2.7 litre or 3.0 litre EcoBoost engine that may suddenly disconnect itself from the vehicle and go bouncing down the road all on its own, which is obviously a bit of a safety risk.
The vehicles effected include some of the most iconic in the Ford range such as the F-150 pickup, The Bronco, Edge and Explorer but also from the Ford luxury brand with the Lincoln Aviator and Nautilus also in the mix.
Dealerships have been instructed to test the engines and replace them free of charge if necessary.
According to the American National Highways Safety Administration (NHTSA) the problem is due to a manufacturing defect and concerns a material known as Silchrome Lite which for an unexplained reason is thought to have been damaged during the manufacturing program.
Silchrome is used for the engine intake valves and has been found to become hard and brittle if overheated during machining.
Ford were quick to add that no crashes nor injuries have occurred due to the defect. The NHTSA added that so far there have been 328 complaints, 487warranty claims and 809 engines replaced. According to Ford prior to the engine failure owners would notice that the engine is running rough and the check engine light would come on.
