What Are Some of the Problems With Ford’s EcoBoost Engine?
Excessive underbody heat, engines catching on fire, engines that lose power or stall after shuddering and shaking, and engines that have trouble maintaining highway speed are some of the problems owners have experienced with Ford EcoBoost engines. The problems affect several different models and years of EcoBoost engines, with some problems resulting in lawsuits and others generating government-mandated recalls.
In 2013, many owners of Ford and Lincoln vehicles that were equipped with 3.5-liter EcoBoost engines suffered shuddering, power loss and stalls. The problem was severe enough that several vehicle owners in Ohio filed a lawsuit. There was no official recall, but Ford sent the procedures for a fix to all of its service centers, stating that it was a moisture build-up issue.
The previous year, there was an official recall for 1.6-liter EcoBoost engines installed in many Ford Escapes because they might catch on fire. The problem was so severe that Ford told its customers not to drive the cars in for repairs and sent a fleet of tow trucks out to recover the vehicles.
In 2015, Ford issued a recall for the current model year of Mustangs that were equipped with 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engines. Excessive exhaust heat generated by the turbocharger and the catalytic converter could melt parking brake cable shields, damage fuel lines and affect the integrity of fuel tanks.