EcoBoost Engine Grenading Investigation Closed as Ford Gives At-Risk Vehicles a 10-Year Warranty

Ford believes most 2021-2022 SUVs and trucks with faulty intake valves have already failed, so it has declined to replace all engines.

To Chris Chilton

November 4, 2024 at 11:50

America’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) closes investigation into EcoBoost engine failures after… Ford said it would inspect potentially damaged engines and provide owners with a 10-year, 150,000-mile (240,000 km) warranty. But the automaker didn’t offer to replace every engine right now.

NHTSA first began preliminary fault assessments of the 2.7-liter EcoBoost engines found in 2021 Bronco SUVs in July 2022 after receiving reports of vehicles losing power completely and being unable to restart.

Connected: Ford investigation into EcoBoost V6 faults leads to recall of more than 90,000 vehicles

But when it became clear that the problem was more serious than it seemed at first glance, the study was expanded in 2023. until full engineering analysis All 2021-2022 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with 2.7 and 3.0 EcoBoost engines. Potentially affected models included the Ford Bronco, F-150, Edge, Explorer, Lincoln Nautilus and Lincoln Aviator.

Ford’s own investigators traced the problem to a batch of improperly machined intake valves that broke in the retainer groove due to structural hardening caused by grinding burns. A broken valve could fall into the engine and make a big mess. Ford provided NHTSA with evidence of 825 warranty claims and 936 engine replacements.

A change in the metal alloy used to make the valves meant that engines built after October 2021 were not at risk of being hit by grenades, but this still left around 90,736 cars with the old equipment on the road. Ford announced a recall in September BroncoExplorer, Edge, F-150, Aviator and Nautilus, but the company has not committed to automatically providing each of them with a new engine, its research has shown that most failures occur when engines have only been driven a few thousand miles, meaning that most some of them will have already done it.

But just in case, remembered The cars will undergo several high-rpm cycle tests at dealerships to determine if they are a worthy candidate for the new engine. And for added peace of mind for owners—and to keep any leftovers from ending up on the floor—Ford is backing these vehicles with an extended powertrain warranty that provides coverage for up to 10 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first.