NHTSA: Some older Ford cars, SUVs pose unreasonable safety risks
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) upgraded a defect investigation on Monday into 135,551 older Ford vehicles, warning that degrading timing belts pose an unreasonable safety risk that can cause sudden engine failure while driving.
- Economy
- Reuters
- Published Date: 05:38 PM 03 August 2026
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday some older Ford cars and SUVs pose unreasonable safety risks because the timing belt may fail and cause vehicles to lose power.
The U.S. auto safety regulator upgraded a defect investigation into 135,551 Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus and Ford EcoSport vehicles with 1.0L engines from various model years between 2014 and 2021.
NHTSA said it had reports of 355 incidents that allege a low engine oil pressure warning light just before a complete loss or reduction of motive power while driving.