NHTSA Investigates Ford's Self Destructing 1.0 Liter Turbo Motors

Ford is the undisputed recall king in the automotive industry right now. It broke its own record for the most recalls ever issued in a single year last year, and it has recalled several million of its vehicles so far this year, too. On Monday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) upgraded a defect investigation into 135,551 2014-to-2021 model year Ford Fiestas, Focuses, and EcoSports powered by the brand's famously small 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine due to an "unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety."

 

As it turns out, the three-cylinder engine, commonly known as the Fox, has proven in NHTSA testing to use a timing belt that may degrade and create debris that clogs the mesh oil pump pick-up screen and starve the engine of oil. The primary concerns are that the issue appears with little-to-no warning, and that the issue is known to occur despite proper and routine oil maintenance.