Third Time Is Far From The Charm For The Once Again Recalled 2013 Ford Escape

Another day, another 2013 Ford Escape recall: After issuing recalls for scary fires and gas pedals that wouldn’t quit in July, Ford is issuing a third recall for its sport utility vehicles, this time citing a fire hazard in the engine compartment. On the bright side? There were no Escape recalls in the entire month of August.

This time around it’s that pesky engine compartment that is causing problems again, as it did in the first recall.  Ford says this time, an improperly installed part called a cup plug in about 7,600 Escapes could cause a fire in the engine compartment. Affected vehicles have a 1.6-liter engine and were built between Oct. 5, 2011 and Aug. 31, 2012, reports Reuters.

If the cup plug component wasn’t installed properly, it would immediately cause loss of engine coolant, explained a spokeswoman. And if the glycol in that coolant comes into contact with the hot parts of an engine, it could catch fire.

After the last recall, Ford told drivers to stop operating their vehicles immediately. In this case car owners should bring their vehicles to the dealership for replacement parts.

Ford says this engine fire problem isn’t related to the first one, and although a car on a dealer lot in Tennessee caught fire in August, no consumer vehicles have caught fire as of yet. So… whew?

Ford recalls new Escape again, citing fire risk [Reuters]

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