Ford Motor Co. said Saturday it is recalling 5,800 2012 Ford Edge SUVs for fuel leaks that could lead to a fire. The new campaign is the most recent in a series of recalls for fire issues by Ford in recent months. The recall includes 5,499 in the United States and 346 in Canada.
Ford spokeswoman Susan Krusel said the automaker is aware of 12 instances of fuel leaks in customer vehicles, which Ford identified after going through warranty claims data. No fires, injuries or crashes have been reported. Ford told its dealers it doesn’t currently have replacement parts but expects them by the end of the month.
The Dearborn automaker said some 2012 Edge vehicles with 2.0-liter engines may have a fuel line pulse damper metal housing that may crack because of an improper manufacturing process. The cracked part may result in fuel odor or a steady leak that could result in a fire. The fuel line damper is a small metal part inserted in the fuel line to help regulate and dampen pulsations of fuel movement through the line.
Dealers will replace the fuel line sub-assembly if necessary— and will provide free rental cars until the parts are available for vehicles that need to be repaired. Owner letters will be mailed the week of Sept. 24.
Ford said earlier this month it was issuing a second recall for the 2013 Ford Escape SUV for fire risks. The recall covers 7,600 2013 Escape SUVs built with 1.6-liter engines, including 6,150 in the United States and 1,300 in Canada.
Ford says the recall is to prevent a dislodged cup plug in the engine cylinder head that could lead to a rapid loss of coolant. That could result in a combustible glycol concentration near hot engine components and create a risk of fire.
Ford said it has no reports of fires from customers, but one fire in an Escape SUV on a dealer lot was reported in Tennessee.
In July, Ford recalled 11,500 new 2013 Ford Escape SUVs with 1.6-liter engines and urged them to stop driving immediately because of fire dangers — an extremely rare step for automakers —after three fires were reported.
