NHTSA Opens Investigation Into Bronco 2.7L V6 Over Catastrophic Engine Failures

[the paws]

This engine is used in the F150. Problems there as well?

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[Carolina Jim]

My 2.7 is fine, albeit only 4,200 miles. But this issue is no longer about valves, mechanical issues or rental car availability.

It has become about Ford's total lack of response. Ford gives the impression of a company adrift and without leadership. Or...the one guy in charge of problems is so ass-deep in other crises, this $15,000 total engine replacement just hasn't caught his eye yet.

 

[AZ_Liberty]

"NHTSA says 25,538 Broncos are potentially affected, although there is no recall on the horizon at this point."

Any word on what production dates these cover?

As a Quality Engineer (nor for Ford) the first thing I do when we have a QC issue is containment, and then as you investigate, you narrow your containment.

25,538 sure sounds like MY21 Broncos with 2.7 engine.

Now the actual issue is probably contained to a few weeks production, or a single batch of improperly hardened or heat treated valve keepers.

But that's basically how you do containment, start with a wide net, and then narrow it down based on your actual data.

 

[North7]

It has hit the mainline press.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/2021-ford-bronco-catastrophic-engine-124138673.html

Detroit Free Press
2021 Ford Bronco 'catastrophic engine failure' complaints lead to NHTSA investigation
Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press
Sat, June 4, 2022 at 3:08 PM
The 2021 Ford Bronco is now the focus of a federal safety investigation after 32 Bronco owners complained of alarming engine failure experiences.
"Under normal driving conditions without warning the vehicle may experience a loss of motive power without restart due to catastrophic engine failure related to a faulty valve within 2.7 L Eco-Boost Engines," according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report. It says the investigation opened May 27.
Documents filed by Ford with NHTSA say 25,538 Broncos may have this problem.

 

[Seatmandan]

ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz.................. this will end as soon as it was started. Ford's bumper to bumper warranty will cover any of the costs associated to the repair of this. So any vehicle that "dies" is now up for a safety investigation? Please.

 

[Snowdogyyz]

Sure. First it was “there’s only 2-3 blown motors on the whole forum”. Then when the actual tracking began- “a few blown motors is normal, happens with every carmaker”. Then it starts being noticed by a publication- “Jeep paid them to write that article”. Then published in several other articles and now some mainstream news sites like Yahoo- “people just hatin’ on Ford”. Now we’re up to 50 motors out of a short production range- “it’s only .00000001% of all 2.7’s produced since Henry Ford started Ford”. Oh yeah- did we mention there is a warranty to those waiting 3-4 months for a new engine due to the same parts supply constraints that have been used to defend Fords delivery schedule????? But you get a loaner!! Oh you mean some dealers are refusing loaners or don’t have loaners to give???

 

[Belem]

I love threads like this: it's like a cheat sheet on who to ignore/block:

"It's under warrantees!"
"Just pull over if it dies no big deal!"
"It's only .0001%!"
"It's the same engine as the F-150!"

For those that'll respond with "what are you going to do, park it and never drive it?"

No, I'm gonna drive the piss out of it, but I'd really like it if Ford would own up and admit there's a problem and come up with a plan. I have a lot of trips up in the Cascades scheduled and would prefer to not be stuck on a forest road in the middle of nowhere.

 

[bytheway]

Just got a call from a news editor in Detroit who wants to speak about the letter I wrote to the NHTSA. Hopefully this is generating the attention that will get some answers.

 

[M4Madness]

Serious question: How does everyone feel that Ford should handle the situation?

Obviously, preemptively replacing every 2.7L engine with a new one is out of the question. Heck, even replacing every engine in the "hotzone" would probably be asking too much.

 

[Sherminiator]

Serious question: How does everyone feel that Ford should handle the situation?

Obviously, preemptively replacing every 2.7L engine with a new one is out of the question. Heck, even replacing every engine in the "hotzone" would probably be asking too much.

The powertrain warranty is 5 years 60K miles, I think that would cover the vast majority of possible failures that might happen.

 

[1975U15]

Sure. First it was “there’s only 2-3 blown motors on the whole forum”. Then when the actual tracking began- “a few blown motors is normal, happens with every carmaker”. Then it starts being noticed by a publication- “Jeep paid them to write that article”. Then published in several other articles and now some mainstream news sites like Yahoo- “people just hatin’ on Ford”. Now we’re up to 50 motors out of a short production range- “it’s only .00000001% of all 2.7’s produced since Henry Ford started Ford”. Oh yeah- did we mention there is a warranty to those waiting 3-4 months for a new engine due to the same parts supply constraints that have been used to defend Fords delivery schedule????? But you get a loaner!! Oh you mean some dealers are refusing loaners or don’t have loaners to give???

There are literally Ford employees (by own admission) in this thread saying it’s not a big deal. Effing hilarious

 

[Razorbak86]

would prefer to not be stuck on a forest road in the middle of nowhere.

Come on. She ain’t that bad… especially after a few beers.

7/10

Would bang again.

 

[Joez60421]

Serious question: How does everyone feel that Ford should handle the situation?

Obviously, preemptively replacing every 2.7L engine with a new one is out of the question. Heck, even replacing every engine in the "hotzone" would probably be asking too much.

Tsb acknowledging it's an issue, with prioritization on getting parts to repair. If they have a general idea of how many should be impacted, longblock assemblies and all related turbo/intercooler parts should be set to the side for warranty work, and all impacted in the hot zone an extended power train warranty as a show of good faith.

The issue has absolutely been compounded ford's incompetence(or greed wanting to not pull assembly line parts to repair one they have already been paid for) leading to it being as big of a deal as it is. There are plenty of cases where it has take ln several months to get people back on the road, with loaners being a PITA, payments still having to be made, and Ford not wanting to give out an extended warranty to restore faith.

 

[MallSquatch]

Serious question: How does everyone feel that Ford should handle the situation?

Obviously, preemptively replacing every 2.7L engine with a new one is out of the question. Heck, even replacing every engine in the "hotzone" would probably be asking too much.

Honestly, acknowledge the issue internally and externally, localize what exactly the issue is, then make a plan and execute it to resolve it.

I doubt the whole engine needs to be replaced (though I’m not a mechanic nor pretend to be one). Likely a few valves that weren’t properly hardened, or some piping that eroded from contact vibration or elsewhere.

I think the best policy would be for Ford to be upfront and honest about the whole thing and be transparent. Yeah it sucks if the parts fail in your Bronco, but Ford could build back a lot of good will and trust if they are vocal and admit fault. Look at how Toyota trucks’ frames rusted out and they made an effort to resolve it. People still swear up and down (especially this board) about their reliability

 

[M4Madness]

I doubt the whole engine needs to be replaced (though I’m not a mechanic nor pretend to be one). Likely a few valves that weren’t properly hardened, or some piping that eroded from contact vibration or elsewhere.

I see no way for them to visually inspect a valve and determine if it is metallurgically inferior or not. Replacing head assemblies as a precaution on thousands of engines would be an enormous undertaking.

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