Ford India has issued a voluntary recall for its EcoSport compact SUV in India to fix an issue with the fuel and brake lines. This is the fourth time the company has called its SUV back to the shops for repairs.
Ford India has been around in India since 1998 but hit success more recently with the Figo and then truly with the EcoSport SUV. It was launched in 2013 and made people queue up outside Ford showrooms. The SUV was recalled a few times in the past and the company has yet again called it back due to issues with the brake and fuel lines. The approximately 48,000 cars affected are manufactured from April 2013 and June 2014. The new bundle clip on the fuel and brake lines will be installed free of cost to the customer. Previously, Ford had recalled 16,500 units of the vehicle to fix an issue with the rear suspension that could cause an accident.
Another 700 units of the EcoSport that were manufactured more recently in between January 2016 and February 2016, and fitted with a 60/40 rear folding seat have been recalled. On certain vehicles, the 40 percent rear seat backrest might have been assembled with bolts that do not meet Ford’s material specification, potentially causing the bolts to break. Ford says that it has not caused any kind of injuries or fatalities until now and will replace this part for added safety. Ford had recalled the EcoSport just 2 months into launch back in July 2013 to replace the glow plug module and later on in December 2014 for issues related to fuel lines and the front airbag.
The Ford EcoSport has till date sold more than 2,00,000 units including exports. It is powered by three engine options – 1.5-litre Ti-VCT petrol that develops 112 PS, a 1.0-litre 3-cylinder EcoBoost petrol that develops 125 PS and a 1.5-litre TDCi diesel that develops 100 PS. It is available with two gearbox options – a 5-speed manual and a 6-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox. The SUV was recently updated with new features like auto headlamps, rain sensing wipers and day time running lights.