Ford Trucks and SUVs with These Engines May Be at Risk for Catastrophic Engine Failure

NHTSA suspects a faulty valve in the 2.7-liter and 3.0-liter EcoBoost engines is the cause of the failure. If correct, this would mean that non-EcoBoost vehicles are not affected. After Ford began cooperating with the agency and sending its data, the company revealed that all its cars in the Nano engine family released in 2021 and 2022 are at risk. Ford believes that the material from which the valves are made is to blame. According to the company, the engine valves in the affected vehicles were constructed of Silchrome Lite, which can be “excessively hard and brittle if excessive temperatures occur during manufacturing of the part.” The company noted that 2023 models will not be affected by this issue as Ford switched to the advanced alloy in October 2021.

It is not known how long the investigation will continue and if a recall of the vehicles will be released. But Ford doesn’t seem too worried. The company claimed that if you drive one of the affected vehicles and this error hasn’t happened, it likely won’t happen anytime soon. Ford told NHTSA that “defective intake valves often fail early in a vehicle’s life and (…) suggested that mass failure has already occurred.” The government agency did not comment on whether this is true or not.