It’s been a long year for Ford, and it’s only mid-October. The Blue Oval has dealt with recall after recall, shattering GM’s preexisting record of recalls in one calendar year. Now, Bronco Sport and Escape owners are dealing with a fuel injector issue that increases the risk of a potentially dangerous fire. 

The year of Ford recalls trudges on with another 700,000 SUVs recalled for fuel system fire risk

Ford issued a recall for 694,271 compact SUVs over a fuel system issue that increases the risk of a fire. The NHTSA reports that the affected models are from the Bronco Sport and Escape model lineups. 

According to a filing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the affected vehicles have Ford’s 1.5L turbocharged EcoBoost three-cylinder engine. That means the Bronco Sport’s 245-horsepower turbo four-cylinder and the Escape’s hybrid 2.5L platform are unimpacted by the recall.

“Liquid fuel and/or fuel vapor that accumulates near a sufficiently hot surface may ignite, resulting in an underhood fire, increasing the risk of injury,” the NHTSA recall notice said. To remedy the situation, Ford says it will notify owners and instruct them to bring impacted vehicles for an engine control software update.

As for specific years, the affected Bronco Sports are from the 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 model years. The Escape recall is limited to the 2020, 2021, and 2022 model years, before Ford refreshed the little SUV in 2023.

The news is just the latest in a record-breaking year of recalls for the Blue Oval. Most recently, Ford recalled the Bronco, Edge, Explorer, and F-150 for faulty engine intake valves. The finicky valves could crack and break during operation, robbing vehicles of power and increasing the risk of a crash.