Small car under investigation for seized engine failures

Ford risks being called to the principal's office again, the principal in this case the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The U.S. government agency's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has opened a Preliminary Evaluation on the 2018-2021 EcoSport, thanks to receiving 95 complaints about engine failures that owners have blamed on faulty oil pumps. All of the pertinent complaints focus on the 1.0-liter engine offered as the base engine for the years in question. In the U.S., the formerly optional 2.0-liter engine became the standard mill for the EcoSport's final model year on the market here in 2022. Roughly 240,000 units are involved in the action.

Two complaints on NHTSA site's 2021 EcoSport FWD page exemplify the trend. One from Texas in June of this year says the hatchback's engine shut down after five minutes of driving, and only then the oil and check engine warning lights illuminated. The owner had the car towed to the dealer, the service department supposedly told the owner "the entire engine needs to be replaced due to a failed oil pump causing bearing failure. This is at 75,000 Miles." In January in Tennessee, an owner "stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the low-pressure oil message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact pulled the vehicle off to the shoulder of the highway and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. Once at the dealer, a diagnostic test was performed and showed that the oil pump and the oil pump belt had malfunctioned, which resulted in engine damage. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,539."