Ford Motor Co. is recalling nearly 1.3 million Ford Focus vehicles in the U.S. over an issue with the canister purge valve that may trigger engine stalls, the automaker said Thursday.
In a statement, Ford warned that the defective valve may result in inaccurate fuel levels and possibly engine stalls or an "inability to restart the vehicle," increasing the risk of a crash.
"Affected vehicles are equipped with a canister purge valve that may become stuck in an open position," the statement said. "If this occurs, an excessive vacuum in the fuel system could cause deformation of the vehicle's plastic fuel tank. As a result, the customer could observe a malfunction indicator light or a fuel gauge with fluctuating or inaccurate fuel levels."
The recall affects certain 2012-18 Focus vehicles with 2.0-liter GDI and 2.0-liter GTDI engines. Separately, the recall covers 136,272 vehicles in Canada and 44,521 in Mexico, according to Ford.
According to the chronology report, NHTSA contacted the automaker about complaints regarding a suspected "loss of motive power" on 2012-14 Focus vehicles.
"Ongoing discussions with the Agency occurred on August 28 and September 19, including an overview of the Focus fuel system operation and reviews of Ford's data," the report said.
Last week, the automaker's Field Review Committee reviewed the issue and greenlighted a field action, according to the report.
The automaker is unaware of any incidents related to the defect but urges customers to maintain "at least a half a tank" of gas until the recall is completed, according to the statement.
To rectify the issue, Ford and Lincoln dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module and check for fault codes and replace the valve as necessary, Ford said. If the valve is replaced, dealers also will inspect and replace the carbon canister, fuel tank and fuel delivery module if needed.
