Vehicles Affected: Approximately 1.3 million model-year 2012-18 Ford Focus cars equipped with either a 2.0-liter GDI or 2.0-liter GTDI engine
The Problem: The canister purge valve may become stuck in an open position, possibly causing an excessive vacuum in the fuel vapor management system, which may result in an engine stall while driving, without warning or the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford said it is not aware of any accidents, injuries or fires as a result of the issue.
The Fix: Until the vehicle is serviced, Ford advises owners to keep the fuel tank at least halfway full. Dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module and check for fault codes, replacing the canister purge valve as needed. If the valve is replaced, dealers will inspect and replace the carbon canister, fuel tank and fuel delivery module as necessary. All repairs will be done for free.
What Owners Should Do: Ford will begin notifying owners Dec. 10. Owners can call the automaker at 866-436-7332, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s vehicle-safety hotline at 888-327-4236 or visit its website to check their vehicle identification number and learn more.
Need to Find a Dealer for Service? Go to Cars.com Service & Repair to find your local dealer. To check for other recalls, and to schedule a free recall repair at your local dealership, click here: Ford Focus
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Patrick Masterson
Patrick Masterson is Chief Copy Editor at Cars.com. He joined the automotive industry in 2016 as a lifelong car enthusiast and has achieved the rare feat of applying his journalism and media arts degrees as a writer, fact-checker, proofreader and editor his entire professional career. He lives by an in-house version of the AP stylebook and knows where semicolons can go.