Ford is recalling more than 270,000 cars across the U.S. after customers reported battery failures that have affected functions including the steering and hazard lights.
Models affected by the recall include 2021-2023 Bronco Sport SUVs and 2022-2023 Maverick trucks, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The number of vehicles in need of inspection and potential repair is 272,817, the NHTSA said, adding: “Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Bronco Sport and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles. The 12-volt battery may experience degradation and suddenly fail.”
Dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the battery, free of charge. It is the latest in a series of recalls by the motor manufacturer due to power loss concerns.
In April last year, Ford recalled 457,000 Bronco Sports and Mavericks due to similar issues.
However, government safety regulators announced in December that they had closed an investigation into two previous recalls of the Ford Focus after determining that Ford had satisfied its concerns.
In 2018, the company recalled around 1.5 million Ford Focus sedans from the 2012-2018 model years because they could also lose power.
The issue was a malfunctioning canister purge valve and software that didn’t adequately detect when it was stuck open. If the valve was stuck open, a vacuum could build up in the fuel management system and deform the fuel tank.
Ford fixed the software in that recall and updated the software again in a separate 2019 recall.
But in 2023, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into those previous recalls after receiving 98 consumer complaints alleging that their Ford Focus sedans still lost power.
