Ford Police Interceptor autos have upgraded parts that assist them address the stresses of each day life with regulation enforcement, however they’re not invincible. The automaker just lately recalled the Explorer Interceptor for prematurely failing engines, which might launch oil and gasoline vapors, inflicting a fireplace.
The recall impacts 2020-2022 Ford Explorer autos with the Police Interceptor Utility Bundle and the three.3-liter V6 engines, together with hybrids. A complete of 85,238 autos are included within the recall, however Ford mentioned it’s unaware of reviews of accidents or accidents associated to the issue.
Engine failures within the affected automobile inhabitants might launch oil and different flammable supplies underneath the hood, which might accumulate close to ignition sources, rising the chance of smoke, fireplace, and injury. The leak is brought on by a piston and rod failure as a result of seizing bearings. Ford mentioned the seized bearings might be brought on by plenty of issues, together with overseas particles within the bearing, supplies failures, lubrication points, and extra. Due to that, the automaker hasn’t recognized “a single particular root trigger for the bearing failures in these autos.”
Ford believes the repair might contain updating the powertrain management module (PCM). The software program could also be up to date to incorporate diagnostics for connecting rod failures, and a tech would examine the engine for noise or injury. If a rod bearing failure is current, Ford will substitute the lengthy block, however the dangerous information for Police fleets is that the automaker mentioned elements for replacements gained’t be out there till the second quarter of subsequent 12 months.
That might be a major trouble, relying on what number of affected Explorers are in a specific police division’s fleet. Ford advises prospects to park and shut off their autos in the event that they hear an surprising noise or scent smoke, which might go away some departments in a lurch if the difficulty is extra frequent than anticipated.
