There are a lot of laws and regulations in place to protect drivers on the road, just as there are a lot of parts and materials that go into making a vehcile. Tires alone are made up of over 200 materials. Whether it’s something like Michigan’s “Zero Tolerance” OWI offense or safety regulations vehicle manufacturers need to follow, these regulations are in place for a reason. And Ford is one manufacturer that is recalling thousands of their vehicles because they don’t meet safety regulations.
Ford Motor Co. has issued a recall for about 58,000 Ford Focus cars throughout the country. The cars have been found to have a powertrain software issue that may result in a misshapen and unsafe fuel tank.
The vehicles that are being recalled are the 2012 and 2017 Focus vehicles equipped with a 2-liter GDI engine and the 2013 and 2014 FOcus ST vehicles equipped with a 2-liter GDI engine. The 58,000 vehicles were supposedly manufactured at Ford’s Wayne, Michigan assembly plant.
The software update these vehicles received was part of a previous recall. Unfortunately, this software update seems to be incomplete. Originally, the software update was supposed to fix the gas tank issue — this issue could result in incorrect fuel gauge readings, loss of power, or an indicator light showing a malfunction.
A risk of loss of power is certainly a big issue because that could potentially result in a crash if it happens on the road. As of now, Ford claims there have been no accidents or injuries as a result of this problem.
According to Ford, if a malfunctioning valve becomes stuck open, this faulty software could not catch the malfunction and fail to respond as needed. This vacuum in the fuel system could result in the fuel tank could becoming deformed. While stainless steel pipes can last over 100 years, plastic gas tanks are not nearly as durable and can become damaged as a result of this issue.
Because this gas tank issue could result in the vehicles using more gas than usual, Ford is recommending that anyone owning one of these vehicles keeping their gas tanks at least half full until the repairs are done. Doing this will hopefully prevent the vehicle from running out of gas unexpectedly. With the specialty gases market expected to surpass $14 billion by 2026, people are already spending a lot on gas and this problem could increase Ford owners’ spending on gas.
Owners of the affected vehicle should contact a local Ford dealership to schedule a time to have the repairs completed. Once the vehicle is brought in, the dealers will reprogram the software system. Reprogramming the software should prevent counteract the issue so the emissions system won’t malfunction. Additionally, any damaged components will be replaced as needed. These repairs will be done at no expense to the vehicle owners.
Because of the risk of loss of power, Ford Focus owners are encouraged to act on this recall and have the necessary repairs done as soon as possible to prevent further issues.
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