NHTSA investigates Ford's EcoBoost V6 following two lawsuits

Ford's turbocharged EcoBoost engine, hit by two lawsuits earlier this month alleging power losses and stalling, is now under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the same problems.

The federal agency says it has received 95 complaints from owners of 2011-2013 F-150 pickups equipped with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. The owners say the engine cut power during hard acceleration while they were trying to pass or merge at highway speeds.

According to NHTSA filings, Ford has issued three technical service bulletins to dealers regarding the EcoBoost engine's "intermittent stumble" and "misfire on acceleration from highway cruise in humid or damp conditions" on 2011-2012 models. Its most recent bulletin addresses replacing intercoolers that have accumulated moisture and reprogramming the powertrain control module, according to NHTSA.

In early May, three Ohio owners sued Ford for selling defective engines. One couple in a 2010 Taurus SHO claims the engine "lost power and stalled on multiple occasions" while an F-150 owner said he lost power while accelerating. One week later, two more F-150 owners filed a similar lawsuit in Louisiana alleging engine shudder and lost power.

The EcoBoost V6 is available in several other Ford models, including the Edge, Explorer, Flex, and Lincoln MKS and MKT. The NHTSA investigation covers about 400,000 F-150 pickups and has not been expanded to other models.

Last year, Ford recalled another EcoBoost engine three times after it debuted on the 2013 Escape. The 1.6-liter four-cylinder suffered from fuel line leaks, coolant leaks, engine overheating and reduced power. The 2013 Fusion, which shares this engine, was also part of the last EcoBoost recall in December. Ford's 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, featured on the base Edge, Taurus and Explorer, has not been affected. A new 1.5-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost engine is scheduled to debut in the 2014 Fusion later this year.

NHTSA is also looking at steering failures on 2008 Ford F-250 and F-350 pickup trucks after at least five owners said their vehicles had problems with the steering gear box that caused them to lose control.

[Source: NHTSA]


Source: MSN