Being told your SUV might catch fire under the hood, and that the real repair is not ready yet, is a genuinely difficult thing to sit with. If you own a Bronco Sport or an Escape with the 1.5-liter engine, that is the position Ford has put you in, and it has now lasted more than three years.
Ford is recalling Bronco Sport and Escape SUVs with 1.5-liter engines because the fuel injectors can crack and leak fuel into the engine bay, where it can reach a hot surface and ignite. The original filing in July 2025 covered 694,271 vehicles; Ford’s own recall page for 25S76 now lists roughly 858,000 as the population grew with an amended filing in November 2025. This action expands and replaces three earlier recalls for the same defect.
Ford has estimated the recall will cost about $570 million, roughly $821 per vehicle. That is not the most expensive recall per vehicle on record, a title that belongs to Hyundai’s EV recall at about $11,000 per car, but it is well above the roughly $500 per vehicle average of the past decade.
Here is the part that matters to an owner. The interim remedy is an engine control software update that detects a cracked injector and limits the fire risk. Ford has described the final remedy as that software update plus replacement of the high pressure fuel rail assembly and the fuel injectors, free of charge, with second owner letters scheduled for late July 2026. As of August 2026 the permanent repair was still being rolled out rather than universally available, so call your dealer and confirm before you drive over. Ford has said it is aware of eight under-hood fires linked to injector cracking and no injuries.
Table of Contents
Ford Fuel Injector Recall: A Quick Overview
- NHTSA ID: 25V467000
- Ford Recall: 25S76
- Recall Size: 694,271 vehicles at the original July 2025 filing; roughly 858,000 on Ford’s current 25S76 recall page
- Vehicles: 2021–2024 Ford Bronco Sport and 2020–2022 Ford Escape vehicles with 1.5-L engines.
- Problem: The fuel injectors may crack and leak fuel in the engine compartment, increasing the risk of an under-hood fire if the fuel contacts a hot surface.
- Cause: Ford has investigated the role of corrosion in fuel injector cracks, but the root cause is still unknown.
- Recall Remedy: An interim remedy of engine software updates is available, but the final remedy has not yet been determined.
- Notification Schedule: Interim notices were mailed in August 2025. Ford scheduled the second round of owner letters, the ones that come with the final remedy, for late July 2026.
- Note: This expands on and replaces NHTSA Campaigns 22V859000, 24V187000, and 25V165000.
Which Ford Vehicles Are Affected?
Ford’s fuel injector recall covers the following vehicles with 1.5-L EcoBoost GTDI engines:
- 2021–2024 Ford Bronco Sport
- Population: 339,044
- Production Dates: Feb 05, 2020 – Feb 08, 2024
- 2020–2022 Ford Escape
- Population: 355,227
- Production Dates: Nov 19, 2018 – Dec 16, 2022
Ford’s recent Form 8-K also indicate an international recall of 2019–2024 Ford Kuga, the UK equivalent of the Ford Escape.
What Goes Wrong With the 1.5-Liter Fuel Injectors
The high pressure fuel injectors have an unknown defect that makes them prone to cracking.
Cracked injectors allow fuel or vapor to leak into the cylinder head, out of a drain hole and right onto hot surfaces on the exhaust/turbo system. When a high amount of fuel or vapor makes contact with a sufficiently hot surface, the fuel or vapor could ignite and start an under-hood fire in the affected vehicles. When this happens, Ford drivers may notice instrument cluster warnings and/or see smoke or fire coming from the engine compartment or underbody.
Past solutions included improved software to detect cracks, disable the fuel pump, lower engine power output and reduce temperatures of hot surfaces. Ford has also tried to reduce the chance of under-hood fire by installing tubes that funnel leaking fuel away from hot surfaces.
Interim Remedy: What Owners Should Do Now
Ford has mailed interim notices to affected owners from August 18, 2025 to August 22, 2025. Ford’s amended recall documents scheduled the follow-up notices for July 27 to July 31, 2026, so those letters are landing now. Ford has described the final remedy as an engine control software update plus replacement of the high pressure fuel rail assembly and the fuel injectors, free of charge; confirm availability with your dealer before booking, because the rollout has been phased.
Affected Ford owners will be able to get their engine control software updated to include leak detection – a repair that some owners may have already received under previous recalls.
The interim notice will inform you if you still need the engine software update. If your recall notice instructs you to seek a recall repair, you may schedule a service appointment through the following means:
- Call Ford’s Customer Service at 1-866-436-7332.
- Search for a local Ford dealership and call the dealership directly.
If your Ford vehicle has leaked fluid, shown warnings on the instrument cluster, or emitted smoke from the engine compartment, schedule a repair service appointment as soon as possible to address the problem.
This Recall Replaces Three Earlier Recalls
Ford’s ongoing issues with leaking fuel injectors led to multiple recalls for Escape and Bronco Sport vehicles over the past three years. In quite a few cases, cracked injectors allowed fuel to leak at rates as high as 19 liters per hour, posing serious fire risk if the fuel made contact with hot engine or exhaust components.
Recall repairs included drain tubes to redirect fuel away from hot surfaces and software updates meant to monitor fire risk. Despite these efforts, Ford has not been able to determine a root cause and many vehicles still need updated repairs.
Recall 25S21: a repeat software update for vehicles already repaired
- Vehicle Models: 2020–2022 Escape and 2021–2023 Bronco Sport
- Population: 33,576
- Remedy: The Power Control Module software will be updated.
- Notices Mailed: April 22, 2025.
- Note: Targets vehicles previously repaired under Ford Recalls 24S16 and 22S73.
- NHTSA Recall Page
Recall 24S16: drain tube plus leak-detection software
- Vehicle Models: 2022–2023 Bronco Sport and 2022 Escape vehicles with 1.5L engines.
- Population: 42,652
- Problem: Cracked fuel injectors allow fuel to leak into the cylinder. The fuel can travel out of a drain hole and onto hot surfaces in the exhaust/turbo system.
- Remedy: A drain tube to funnel fuel away from ignition sources, plus engine control software that detects pressure drops. The software prevents under-hood fires by disabling the high pressure fuel pump, reducing power output and lowering temperatures of possible ignition sources.
- Notices Mailed: April 1-5, 2024.
- Note: Expands on Ford Recall 22S73.
- NHTSA Recall Page
Recall 22S73: the original drain tube campaign
- Vehicle Models: 2020–2023 Escape and 2021–2023 Bronco Sport vehicles with 1.5L engines.
- Population: 521,746
- Remedy: Install a drain tube and update the engine software to detect pressure drops and prevent under-hood fires.
- Notices Mailed: Interim notices were mailed January 9, 2023. Follow-up notices were mailed February 28, 2023.
- Note: Expands on Ford Recall 22S21.
- NHTSA Recall Page
How to Check If Your Ford Is Under Recall
Ford has been the industry’s most-recalled manufacturer for several years running, including eleven separate backup camera recalls in 2025 and two more campaigns in March 2026. If your vehicle is affected, your manufacturer will mail you a recall notice. However, you don’t have to wait to find out; you can find any open recalls on your vehicle through these search tools:
- Ford’s Recall Search Tool: Enter your Vehicle Identification Number (found on the driver’s side dashboard near the windshield or inside the driver’s side doorjamb) into the search bar to pull up existing recalls.
- NHTSA’s Recall Lookup Tool: Type your VIN or your state License Plate Number to look for any open recalls on your vehicle.
Repairs offered under recall are usually free of charge. Sometimes, repairs obtained prior to the recall for related safety issues are reimbursed. Confirm with your manufacturer’s customer service department. If your vehicle safety issues are not covered by recall, you may report them to NHTSA’s Safety Hotline: 888-327-4236.
Legal Options If Your Vehicle Can’t Be Fixed
A recall gets you a free repair. It does not get you anything for the months your SUV spent waiting on one, and it does not help at all if the repair does not hold.
In California the statute that does is the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, the law behind what people call the lemon law. Under the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, a manufacturer that cannot repair a defect substantially affecting the use, value or safety of your vehicle after a reasonable number of attempts, while the vehicle is still under warranty, has to repurchase or replace it. A fuel leak that can start an under-hood fire is about as clear a safety defect as this area of law sees.
This recall has an unusual feature that works in an owner’s favor: it is the fourth campaign for the same defect. If your Bronco Sport or Escape was repaired under 22S73, then again under 24S16 or 25S21, and is now waiting on 25S76, your file already documents repeated attempts by the manufacturer to fix one problem. Keep every repair order from every campaign. California also treats a cumulative 30 days out of service for warranty repair as a strong signal on its own, and those days do not have to run consecutively, which matters when a final remedy has been pending for this long.
If a claim succeeds, the remedy is a repurchase at close to what you paid, including taxes, registration and finance charges, less a mileage offset for the trouble-free miles before the defect appeared, or a replacement vehicle; our buyback calculation page shows how the figure is built. The consultation is free, and the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act makes the manufacturer responsible for attorney fees on a successful claim, so our firm is paid on contingency and you pay nothing out of pocket.
One eligibility note so nobody wastes a phone call: we practice California lemon law only, for vehicles purchased or leased from a licensed California dealership, and our current intake focuses on recent model years. The 2021 to 2024 Bronco Sport sits comfortably inside that; the 2020 Escape is at the older edge of it. Either way the recall repair is free to you, and our lemon law FAQ and Ford defect page explain what the law requires of the manufacturer. To talk it through, call our lemon law firm on 833-208-8181.
Ford Fuel Injector Recall Questions Answered
Is there a Ford Bronco Sport and Escape fuel injector recall? Yes. Ford recall 25S76, NHTSA 25V467000, covers Bronco Sport and Escape SUVs with 1.5-liter EcoBoost engines whose fuel injectors can crack and leak fuel onto hot surfaces. It expands and replaces recalls 22S73, 24S16 and 25S21.
Which vehicles does recall 25S76 cover? Bronco Sport and Escape models built with the 1.5-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost engine, spanning the 2021 to 2024 Bronco Sport and the 2020 to 2022 Escape. Ford’s Form 8-K also indicated an international recall of the Ford Kuga, the European equivalent of the Escape.
Is there a permanent fix yet? Not for everyone. The interim remedy is an engine control software update that detects a cracked injector, disables the high pressure fuel pump, cuts engine power and lowers the temperature of nearby surfaces. Ford has described the final remedy as that software plus a new high pressure fuel rail assembly and fuel injectors, rolled out in phases.
Is it safe to drive? Ford has not issued a do-not-drive warning for this recall, and the interim software is designed to reduce the fire risk. If your vehicle has leaked fluid, shown instrument cluster warnings or produced smoke from the engine compartment, stop driving it and get it to a dealership.
What is Ford recall 25S76 costing? Ford has estimated about $570 million, roughly $821 per vehicle, which is well above the industry’s roughly $500 per vehicle average over the past decade.
Does taking the interim repair give up my lemon law rights? No. Recall repairs are free and separate from your warranty rights. Taking the software update while you wait for the final remedy protects you and adds another documented repair attempt to your file.
Reviewed by Roger Kirnos, Managing Attorney, California State Bar No. 283163
