Ford’s just now announced that they are recalling close to 1.5-million compact Ford Focus world-wide, of which approximately 1.3-million are right here in North America.
The issue it seems is with the fuel system where the engines could stall without warning. According to Ford, a valve in the fuel system may remain in the open position, causing excess vacuum. The engine control computer may not detect the problem and so may not address the issue. The excessive vacuum can cause the gas tank to deform, among other problems.
The recall involves cars from the 2012 through 2018 model years with the very common and popular 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine. Thankfully, the fix is fairly simple.
Ford dealerships will inspect the valve, a carbon canister and the gas tank. If needed, they will be replaced. A quick update to the computer with the new software will detect a stuck valve. Ford says that will take care of the problem in most cases.
