The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) officially closed its investigation into a potential engine defect affecting 411,000 Ford vehicles, including popular models like the Ford Bronco, Edge, F-150 and Lincoln Aviator. The probe, launched in July 2022, examined a potentially faulty valvetrain in Ford’s 2.7L and 3.0L EcoBoost engines, which could cause vehicles to lose power unexpectedly.
The investigation expanded over time to include Ford’s 2021 and 2022 models with these engine types, following 1,066 unique reports of sudden power loss. This malfunction, caused by intake valves cracking and falling into the combustion chamber, was linked to valves that exceeded Ford’s hardness specifications, increasing brittleness. Ford attributed this defect to specific manufacturing issues from a supplier.
In response, Ford issued a recall in August for 90,000 affected vehicles, primarily focusing on models with limited driving history.
The automaker said data showed the vast majority of failures occurred in cars before they had been driven 20,000 miles, with more than half of all reported failures occurring before 5,000 miles. Ford also noted the faulty intake valve material was altered for vehicles produced after October 2021.
Ford’s recall plan includes a dealer inspection and testing for cars with insufficient mileage, allowing Ford to identify and replace defective valves if needed. Additionally, Ford announced an extended warranty for recalled vehicles, covering up to 10 years or 150,000 miles.
No crashes or injuries have been reported due to the issue.
NHTSA said the rate of failures linked to the valve defect has decreased significantly since November 2021, suggesting the issue has largely been resolved in newer production runs.
