US Government Opens Investigation into 2021 Ford Bronco 2.7L V6 Ecoboost Failure
More than a few 2021 Ford Bronco owners have had issues with premature valve failure in their Ecoboosted engine. So much so that they’ve complained to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration……. AND THEY’RE ACTUALLY OPENING A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION.
Overall, there have been more than a dozen complaints regarding the issue,
The investigation includes an estimated 25,538 2021 Ford Bronco models. Overall, NHTSA has received 26 complaints related the defect, which has caused total engine failure in some cases. Complaints revolve around loss of power at highway speeds after which the vehicle will not restart.
Ford has reportedly found the reason / root cause of the failures and the Wall Street Journal describes it as:
Ford identified the root cause of the alleged defect as interference between the valve and piston within the 2.7-liter EcoBoost engines, which can result in the engine locking up, NHTSA said. The regulator has identified 26 reports that related to the alleged defect in the Bronco.
Some Ford forums state believe that the 2.7 engines present in these problematic Broncos had cheaper, sub-optimal valves that were acquired from a new supplier that didn’t properly ensure quality / component testing.
Overall, given that the root cause has been found and it can be directly attributed to a certain supplier, I’d expect a recall within the next few months.
Here is the NHTSA Summary and the relevant documents can be found here:
July 22, 2022 NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: PE22007
OPEN INVESTIGATION
Loss of Motive Power
NHTSA Action Number: PE22007
Components ENGINE
Opened From: July 22, 2022–Present
Summary
On May 27, 2022, ODI opened a Defect Petition (DP22-001) to evaluate whether to grant or deny three petitions that requested a defect investigation into an alleged defect of the "valvetrain" on model year (MY) 2021 Ford Bronco vehicles equipped with the 2.7L Eco-boost engines. The petitioners alleged that MY 2021 Ford Broncos vehicles are experiencing a loss of motive power at highway speeds with no-restart. In a June 7, 2022 meeting with Ford ODI learned this alleged loss of motor power is a result of catastrophic engine failures due to the engine valves failing. Ford identified the root cause as the valve "keepers" not holding the retainer in place allowing the valve spring to detach from the valve resulting in interference between the valve and piston. This interference can cause an engine lockup.
ODI has identified 26 Vehicle Owner's Questionnaires (VOQs) that relate to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. Based on ODI's review of the applicable materials, including VOQs, NHTSA has decided to grant the petition and open this Preliminary Evaluation to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety-related consequences of the alleged defect.
If you’re in California and you own a Ford Bronco that you’ve taken to a dealership for engine or powertrain failure, we can definitely try to help you! Fill out the form below to get in touch.