[RECALL] 25V46 (NHTSA) / 25S76 (Ford) - Fuel Injectors MY21-24 1.5L I3 Engine

[coopny]

Recall Acknowledgement

Recall Report

The recalled fuel injectors were introduced into production on 02/05/2020 and were taken out of production on 02/08/2024. Affected vehicles are equipped with 1.5L engines. These vehicles are not produced in VIN order. Information as to the applicability of this action to specific vehicles can best be obtained by either calling Ford’s toll-free line (1-866-436-7332) or by contacting a local Ford or Lincoln dealer who can obtain specific information regarding the vehicles from the Ford On-line Automotive Service Information System (OASIS) database. 339,044 Bronco Sport vehicles are affected.

The remedy is currently under development. As an interim repair, dealers will update the engine control software, free of charge. Owner notification letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed August 18, 2025. Second letters will be sent once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S76. This recall expands and replaces previous recall numbers 22V-859, 24V187, and 25V165. Vehicles previously remedied under 22V-859, 24V187, and 25V165 will need to have the new final remedy performed once it is available

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[elvisimprsntr]

Ford was already #1 in '25 recalls. Now Ford aims to extend that margin to make sure no one else can take the lead.

Meanwhile Ford stock hasn't done [redacted] in over 2 decades.

https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/f/charts?mod=mw_quote_advanced

 

[thegadgetfish]

Look on the bright side, free new parts! I feel like half of my car internals is new due to warranty and recall issues, which should make it pretty invulnerable in the future… right? ?

 

[elvisimprsntr]

I thought I read the short term "solution" was a software update to detect leaking injectors until parts are available. I assume it is some sort of fuel rail pressure leak down test. Then it will be a get in line to replace the parts under warranty, similar to the Takata airbag situation.

On a port injection engine, you put ignition in run position (not start) to prime the fuel pump, then monitor the fuel rail pressure for X psi drop over 5-30 minutes. Fairly easy and safe to do since pressures are ~50 psi.

On a BS GDI engine, fuel high pressure range is between 500–3,000 psi depending on operating conditions. I read the the engine must be running or at least cranking for the high pressure fuel pump to pressurize the fuel rail since it is a mechanical fuel pump. Perhaps the fuel low pressure side will drop rapidly if there is a leaking or cracked injector, but is ~50 psi high enough to detect a leak. Regardless, it seems like it would require monitoring the fuel pressure over some period of time to detect the leak, which may affect battery drain depending how long and frequently the test runs.

Then the question is what does the PCM do when it detects a leak. I think I read it will disable to low pressure pump and possibly disable injectors. In some cases it may just enter limp mode. While it may be inconvenient depending on where and when it occurs, but continuing to drive the vehicle with fuel potentially leaking on the exhaust seems more dangerous, not to mention if it continues to leak after parking a hot engine inside a garage.

I read the software possibly uses a combination of monitoring fuel pressure during priming and engine operation, O2 sensor feedback, misfire detection, rough idle, EVAP system, and fuel trims.

 

[Major Kong]

Recall Acknowledgement

Recall Report

The recalled fuel injectors were introduced into production on 02/05/2020 and were taken out of production on 02/08/2024. Affected vehicles are equipped with 1.5L engines. These vehicles are not produced in VIN order. Information as to the applicability of this action to specific vehicles can best be obtained by either calling Ford’s toll-free line (1-866-436-7332) or by contacting a local Ford or Lincoln dealer who can obtain specific information regarding the vehicles from the Ford On-line Automotive Service Information System (OASIS) database. 339,044 Bronco Sport vehicles are affected.

The remedy is currently under development. As an interim repair, dealers will update the engine control software, free of charge. Owner notification letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed August 18, 2025. Second letters will be sent once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S76. This recall expands and replaces previous recall numbers 22V-859, 24V187, and 25V165. Vehicles previously remedied under 22V-859, 24V187, and 25V165 will need to have the new final remedy performed once it is available

wait a minute
did they just say
"the new final remedy"
what went wrong with the previous final remedy
holding out for the supremely irrevocable undisputed kaput final remedy

 

[coopny]

wait a minute
did they just say
"the new final remedy"
what went wrong with the previous final remedy
holding out for the supremely irrevocable undisputed kaput final remedy

One would assume that a revised fuel injector part where the fuel injectors don't crack would be the final remedy, but it's possible that a defect in some other part could be causing the fuel injectors to crack, and I don't work for FoMoCo so I'm not going to pretend to have any inside knowledge as to what it actually ends up being.

I would suspect the injectors on the basis of the recall letter to NHTSA saying the affected components are fuel injectors parts HX7G-9F597-B and HX7G-9F597-C.

NHTSA made Ford investigate the adequacy of prior fuel injector recalls opening an investigation April 2024.

July 2024 Ford gets a report of a vehicle that caught fire that had already received 22S73/22V859. Ford buys the vehicle, investigates it - cracked fuel injector.

Ford spends a little under the next year (Aug 2024-May 2025) investigating underhood fires. Only one shows signs of a fuel injector "weeping" and not the cause of the fire. It lacked the software update. They also look at warranty replaced injectors to understand what's going on better.

April 2025-May 2025 Ford understands corrosion to lead to fuel injector cracking and how the size of the crack impacts vehicles with and without either the drain tube remedy or software remedy.

Late May/Early June, Ford meets with NHTSA to discuss findings. Early July, Ford elects on a recall.

The recall letter with NHTSA is very clear that there's some sort of update to the software beyond any prior software update, probably to use new parameters or stricter ones to put the vehicle into limp mode.

The rest Ford is saying a remedy is being developed. I suspect Ford is probably considering multiple remedies. Prior recalls have generally focused on mitigating the harm of a cracked fuel injector (via the drain tube and/or software) with the cracked injectors themselves being addressed under a customer satisfaction program.

I'm not sure if Ford will be able to satisfy the NHTSA with that this time as the current expanded recall covers 694,271 vehicles (Bronco Sport and Escape). With an estimated rate of 0.3% vehicles defective, that's an estimated 20,828 vehicles on the road that Ford is estimating have cracked fuel injectors - including those that already both have the drain tube and the software fixes. I think if you have several gos at it with software and you have to initiate yet another recall I think the NHTSA confidence in any recall that doesn't result in replacement of either the fuel injectors themselves, or a related part that is somehow causing corrosion in the fuel injector is going to be low.

I did argue in another thread here that I thought it was negligent that Ford did not install the software remedy and drain tube in all subsequent 1.5L Bronco sports, but minimally the software remedy as this is a free operation from a parts perspective and miminal for a labor one, particularly if done as the vehicle is manufactured. I feel vindicated on my belief by this furthest recall.

I also believe that any subsequent recall (including this one) should include the drain tube for all vehicles. If fuel leaks in that area without it, it's known to be hot enough to cause underhood fires. Ford has had three prior tries to fix this and hasn't nailed it down yet. The drain tube acts as another layer of safety if somehow there is a fuel leak and it's not caught by the software to put the vehicle into limp mode on suspected fuel leak, or if a vehicle still experiences substantial fuel leakage despite limp mode trying to reduce it.

 

[rocks]

A better fuel injector isn't available or is Ford brass waiting for the NHSTA to order them to change to a better injector?

 

[coopny]

A better fuel injector isn't available or is Ford brass waiting for the NHSTA to order them to change to a better injector?

It's not the matter of some off the shelf "better" part. Ford didn't expect the original fuel injectors to crack as often as they do. They then iterated the part, believing that to fix the issue, but there was a shortage of vehicles compared to drain tube/software fix. They believed the original vehicles didn't require the software or drain tube fixes because the version 2.0 of the injector were more robust:

Ford determined that the two vehicles were produced on November 23, 2022, and December 13, 2022, with HX7G-9F597-BC fuel injectors. These injectors have a reduced knurl diameter relative to the HX7G-9F597-BB injector that the Recall 22S73 population of vehicles was originally produced with. This change was introduced to provide improved robustness against stresses leading to cracking.

Essentially in the original population vehicles (fuel injector BB) Ford believed the customer satisfaction program to replace the injectors if they cracked was enough. In the revised injector vehicles (BC) Ford believed the revised injector design was more robust - until it was proven it wasn't. That led to 24S16 which put the drain tube and software in vehicles that had the v2 injector part (BC).

Apparently the NHTSA was perturbed at this point and asked Ford to investigate the adeuqacy of prior remedies, which is how we've reached this point.

Ford's report letter (second link in OP) says that they understand corrosion to play a role in Fuel injectors cracking/leaking based on April/May 2025 investigation, but it doesn't say why the injectors are corroding. There are many causes for this, and if Ford knew what the cause was, I believe it would have been stated in the report. Depending on the cause, that may involve replacing the injector, replacing other parts, or both.

 

[thomasm23]

This appeared in my Ford Pass app this morning under Active Recalls.

 

[Robins21]

Wasn't this a recall a couple years ago? We got a fuel injector recall a couple years ago that said they might crack & they installed a drain hose.

 

[thomasm23]

Wasn't this a recall a couple years ago? We got a fuel injector recall a couple years ago that said they might crack & they installed a drain hose.

This is a new recall regarding the potential for fuel injector failure due to corrosion. I had the previous recall done to install the drain hose and update the software to add a dash warning.

There is not yet an approved remedy to address this new recall, however in the recall notice Ford indicates that there is an approved remedy.

 

[Robins21]

Thanks.

 

[coopny]

There is not yet an approved remedy to address this new recall.

Correct, but I do want to emphasize for any 1.5L owners, get this new recall done when available. Use mobile service if you don't feel like going to the dealership. I do that for these software recalls and tip the guy a few bucks for saving me the convenience of driving to the dealership and waiting.

Ford is including the software component of this recall as a first step (when available), even on vehicles that have had updated software for prior fuel injector recalls, which means whatever detection in prior software versions have had shortcomings. Having the updated software is your best chance at preventing an underhood fire on the slight chance that you have a fuel injector crack and it leaks a substantial amount of fuel (the software is intended to try to detect a substantial leak and then put the vehicle in limp mode to reduce the flow rate of fuel and inform you to get the vehicle serviced ASAP).

I do want to emphasize - Ford did not issue this as a "stop driving" recall, and from what I'm reading, there's only a single vehicle report Ford is aware of where the vehicle had the prior software and drain tube recalls done where a cracked fuel injector conclusively led to an underhood fire. You should not consider your vehicle unsafe to drive, but the newer software recall will provide extra peace of mind and safety margin as Ford figures out the final fix.

Lastly, the one thing that it would probably not be paranoid to pay some attention to, as far as I've seen from online video, the drain tube appears to be by the front left (driver side in North America) tire. If you see fluid there wherever you park regularly (I wouldn't be going crazy checking every time you park the car in a parking lot), it may be worth checking if the fluid smells like gasoline. Or just having your dealer examine it...

 

[wireman]

Does the 2.0L use the same injectors?

Why is this an issue with only the 1.5L and will this migrate to the 2.0L also?

Almost 3 years and they still can't figure this out. Geez.

 

[Dude]

Does the 2.0L use the same injectors?

Why is this an issue with only the 1.5L and will this migrate to the 2.0L also?

Almost 3 years and they still can't figure this out. Geez.

2.0L uses different part number injectors and I don’t recall which supplier provides the injectors for Bronco Sport 1.5L and 2L

I recall the 2.0L uses a different design to eliminate fuel if such a leak were to occur but I don’t know that any 2.0L Bronco Sports ever reported a fuel leak

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