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The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said its Office
of Defects Investigation has received 27 complaints, including
12 reports of fires and a total of four injuries, and that it
would investigate Ford F-250, 350, 450, and 550 Super Duty
vehicles equipped with 6.7L diesel engines of model years
2015-2021.
The agency said a fracture in the secondary fuel filter in the
vehicles could result in a fire, as the proximity of the filter
to high heat sources creates a potential for auto-ignition
thermal events and fires.
The NHTSA has contacted the filter's maker, Allevard Sogefi USA,
and said it learned the secondary fuel filter is tested to
operate at reduced levels of pressure during the manufacturing
process, compared with the possible maximum operating pressure
in the fuel system of the vehicle.
Ford and Allevard Sogefi USA's parent Sogefi were not
immediately available for a comment.
The agency's preliminary evaluation is the first step to
determine whether the vehicles pose an unreasonable risk to
safety. It could close the investigation without taking any
potential action.
Separately, the NHTSA said on Thursday it had "significant
safety concerns" over Ford's recall of more than 42,000 SUVs
over concerns on fuel leaks that could lead to an engine fire.
While Ford had proposed an engine control software update and
installation of a drain, the NHTSA said the company's plan "does
not address the root cause of the issue and does not proactively
call for the replacement of defective fuel injectors prior to
their failure".
(Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna
Chandra Eluri)
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