Ford this week issued a recall of around 58,000 Focus models, 400 of them in Canada.
The recall addresses an issue related to the canister purge valve (CPV). According to Transport Canada, the valve could get stuck in the open position and “cause excessive vacuum in the fuel system that could deform the fuel tank”. This in turn could cause “a malfunction indicator light (MIL) to illuminate, erratic readings on the fuel gauge, and/or the engine may stall”.
This is actually how Transport Canada described the issue in 2018 for an earlier recall that affected 136,272 vehicles. The problem with the repairs carried out under that recall is that some vehicles would have needed to receive an update of the calibration software but did not. As a result, those models are still vulnerable to the same problem.
The models identified in the new recall are 2012-to-2017 Ford Focus cars equipped with a 2.0L GDI engine, as well as 2013-2014 ST versions of the Focus fitted with a 2.0L GTDI engine.
Dealerships will be called on to reprogram the fuel-delivery module in vehicles identified in this second recall. If necessary, they will replace the CPV and possibly the fuel vapor management system, the fuel tank and the fuel delivery module, as was the case during the initial recall.