Ford is recalling more than 255,000 vehicles after a previous attempt to fix a stalling problem was done incorrectly, leaving drivers at risk of their engines shutting off while on the road.
The recall covers 255,404 Ford Focus automobiles from model years 2012 through 2018, according to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration. The issue involves a canister purge valve that may stick open, causing the engine to stall unexpectedly while driving and raising the risk of a crash and injury, CBS News reported.
"Affected vehicles may illuminate a Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) or customers may observe inaccurate fuel gauge indication, inaccurate distance to empty indication and/or have drivability concerns," the federal agency said.
The current recall stems from an earlier recall, originally filed under NHTSA number 18V735, which was meant to address the same stalling problem. Ford determined that some of those repairs were performed incorrectly, leaving the underlying issue unresolved.
Ford plans to fix the problem at no cost to owners. Dealers will provide a powertrain software update to affected vehicles. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed between July 6 and July 10.
Owners who want to check sooner can contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 or visit a local Ford or Lincoln dealer. Ford's internal number for this recall is 26S40. The NHTSA's number is 26V369. Vehicle identification numbers involved in the recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning July 6.
