Ford said Thursday the recall covers almost 1.5 million Focus vehicles in North America, warning that a valve in their engines could malfunction.
The recall covers Focus compact cars between the 2012 and 2018 model years that are equipped with 2-liter gas-direct injection engines. The recall covers vehicles produced before April 2017 at the Michigan Assembly Plant near Detroit and cars that have 2-liter gasoline turbocharged direct injection engines produced before February 2018, the company said.
A Ford spokeswoman confirmed the recall covers the majority of the cars produced between those model years. Most of the affected vehicles, about 1.3 million, were sold in the U.S., with the rest in Canada and Mexico.
Despite the setback, Ford shares were up 7% in midday trading Thursday amid a broader rally in U.S. stocks.
Ford has struggled with recalls of late. Before the Focus recall, the company had recalled 4.2 million vehicles this year, second-most among car companies behind Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, which has called back 7.7 million vehicles, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
A safety recall covering 2 million pickup trucks in North America shaved about $140 million from Ford’s third-quarter profits, the company said Wednesday. The No. 2 U.S. auto maker said its net profit fell 37% to about $1 billion as it also confronted challenges in China and Europe and higher tariff-related costs on materials.
In March, Ford recalled 1.4 million midsize cars because of a risk that their steering wheels would detach.
Under the latest recall disclosed Thursday, Ford said Focus cars powered by the two types of engines are equipped with a valve that could become stuck in an open position, which may in turn damage the vehicles’ plastic fuel tanks.
Should that occur, the fuel gauge may fluctuate or show inaccurate gas levels, leading to stalls and potentially to crashes. Drivers might not be able to restart cars too, Ford said.
Ford said customers impacted by the recall should maintain at least a half tank of gas in their cars until the recall is complete, and that dealers will replace the valves free of charge.