Ford Recalls 90,000 SUVs and Trucks Over EcoBoost Engine Failures

Faulty valves have Ford issuing a recall on 91,000 Broncos, F-150s, and more to inspect and possibly replace the engine.

Photo byFord

Ford is recalling close to 100,000 EcoBoost V6 engines. The 2.7L and 3.0L V6 engines are in the F-150, Bronco, Explorer, and Edge, as well as the Lincoln Aviator and Nautilus. The fix is a new engine, at least for some owners, after an inspection.

The recall has been a long time in the making. The first investigations into the 2.7L and 3.0L EcoBoost V6s, also called Nano EcoBoost, opened in January 2022. A high rate of early failures seen was found to be the result of fractured intake valves. The broken valves would fall into the engine, causing all kinds of destruction.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents, the valves were failing because they were too brittle. A supplier’s issue caused the problem, which was fixed after the end of October 2021.

2.7L EcoBoost;Photo byFord

NHTSA Noted High Number of Failures

In May 2022, the NHTSA opened an investigation after a large number of owners alleged catastrophic engine damage. In 2023, the NHTSA expanded that into an Engineering Analysis and broadened the scope from the 2021 Bronco to all 2.7L- and 3.0L-equipped Ford and Lincoln vehicles.

As of August 9, 2024, Ford said it was aware of 811 warranty claims that were confirmed or suspected to result from fractured intake valves. Ford says it is not aware of any reports of accidents or injuries resulting from the problem. The NHTSA recall notice says that “the engine intake valves may break while driving, which can result in engine failure and a loss of drive power.” Those factors could increase the risk of crash and injury.

The recall affects 15,835 2021-2022 Ford Bronco models, 47,791 F-150s, 2,366 Edge, 14,262 Explorer, 3,355 Lincoln Nautilus, and 7,199 Aviator models.

2021 Ford F-150 XLT with 2.7L EcoBoost;Photo byFord

Ford Recall Fix

The fix is a strange one. The recall documents say, “Dealers will inspect each vehicle to determine its cumulative number of engine cycles. For vehicles that do not meet the engine cycle threshold, dealers will accumulate high revolutions per minute (rpm) engine cycles per a service procedure. Engines will be replaced on vehicles that do not pass the engine cycle accumulation.”

Most of the engines fail soon into their service life, Ford said. Think low miles or at least low total engine revolutions. That means the fix is to make sure the engine is outside of that short window, and if it’s not, to run the engine until it is. If the engine fails, then owners get a new one with the valve issue solved.

Owner notifications should go out by the end of September. Owners can also check with the NHTSA or contact Ford customer service quoting recall #24S55.