Ford is set to announce an official service action to resolve on-going issues some customers have been experience with the fuel injectors used in its 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel engines.
These are the engines fitted in the Ford Transit and Ford Transit Custom since 2017, and the Ford Ranger since 2019; however the injector problems that have become one of the major reliability worries for these vans only affect vehicles made in 2019.
In order to help resolve the issues with the minimum amount of impact on owners and operators, Ford says it will be massively increasing the size of its commercial vehicle courtesy fleet, as well as planning to proactively replace the potentially faulty parts on vehicles that aren’t showing any symptoms.
Keep reading for more info, including a full statement from Ford about the problem below.
What is the 2.0-litre EcoBlue injector issue?
Exactly what it sounds like – a critical failure of the injectors that pump diesel into these engines, which will stop the van or pickup working.
Symptoms for failing injectors include rough running including misfires, poor idle, reduced performance, high fuel consumption but if the vehicle is new to you it may not be immediately obvious that something is wrong.
The faulty injectors will eventually put the vehicle into ‘limp home’ mode, however. So the problem does need to be fixed, even if you can’t detect an issue in normal driving.
What’s causing the Ford EcoBlue injector issue?
Ford says the issue has been caused by quality problems with a third party supplier, which provides the injectors fitted in the Transit, Transit Custom and Ranger EcoBlue models.
Further to this, we understand that supplier is Continental, and that the failure is related to a surface coating inside the injectors. On some injectors this has been found to come unstuck, which soon leads to the injector becoming blocked and preventing it operating correctly.
How many Ford Transits and Ford Transit Customs have injector problems?
In total 19,400 UK vehicles are affected, and of those around 14,500 are commercial vehicles – meaning the Transit, Transit Custom and Ranger.
The engines are also fitted in various Ford cars (Focus, Mondeo, S-Max, Galaxy and Edge), but far less prolifically. Across Europe a total of around 90,000 vehicles are involved.
The faulty batch of injectors was installed between 25 February 2019 and 13 September 2019.
Note that these are the ‘build dates’, so vehicles with later registration dates than this could still be affected.
There should be fewer problems for Ranger owners, as the 2.0-litre engines were only introduced in mid-2019.
How will I know if my Transit or Transit Custom might have injectors that need replacing?
If you’re unsure, the easy way to tell whether you’ve got a 2.0-litre diesel van or pickups is the AdBlue tank. If your Ford Transit or Transit Custom requires AdBlue it’s powered by an EcoBlue engine.
What is Ford doing about the problem?
Ford plans to replace the faulty injectors with injectors of the correct quality. This will be done under warranty with no charge to customers.
However, Ford won’t be able to do this for everyone immediately, as it first needs to build up enough stock of the correct injectors, something that it’s currently working with the injector supplier to achieve.
Owners and drivers already forced to have injectors replaced prior to the new service action have reported significant delays getting the parts, which has understandably become a source of frustration.
Hopefully the plan to build up replacement stocks will resolve this. In the meantime, customers experiencing problems will be prioritised over those with vehicles that may suffer with the problem at some point but are working fine right now.
My van isn’t broken – do I still need to have the injectors replaced?
Our understanding is that Ford will be contacting the owners of every vehicle fitted with potentially faulty injectors and offering to replace them, regardless of whether the injectors are causing problems or not.
If you’re worried you can also contact your local dealer directly, but remember that Ford will be prioritising customers with vehicles that are already broken.
There will be no cost to you for the replacement work. However, it will mean giving up your van – or pickup – while the work is carried out.
You don’t have to agree to let Ford replace the injectors at all, but given the apparent scale of the problem we feel you’ll be taking a big risk of getting stranded at some point in the future by not doing so.
Will I be able to get a replacement loan van while mine is being fixed?
Ford is currently in the process of ‘significantly’ increasing its van and pickup courtesy fleet in order to provide this service, reducing downtime for as many customers as possible.
By significantly, we’re told Ford plans to add 1,000 new courtesy vehicles in total – though some of these will be cars.
Ford representatives have told us that it understands that for commercial vehicle operators getting the correct size of replacement vehicle is very important, so it has some tricky logistics to work out.
If you’re concerned or need assistance with this, the advice is to contact your local dealer or the main Ford customer service centre.
I’m about to buy a new Ford, should I be worried?
No. Even if there are still unregistered vehicles fitted with the faulty injectors, these will be fixed prior to being sold to new customers.
Is this a safety recall?
No, this doesn’t qualify as a safety issue as far as the UK’s Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is concerned.
This is because the vehicles have built-in systems to cope with the problem – meaning that they will go into so-called limp home mode rather than continue to run at maximum performance.
As a result, Ford will be fixing the problem via a process it calls a ‘field service action’.
However, Ford understands that having a vehicle go into limp home mode while driving may be potentially alarming, especially for customers who don’t drive for a living. Hence it is working hard with its supplier to replace the faulty injectors as quickly as possible.
What should I do if my van goes into limp home mode while I’m driving?
When this happens a notification will flash up on the dashboard, and the vehicle’s peformance will be substantially reduced.
The key thing is to not panic. Take a good look around you, include checking your mirrors, start indicating to the side of the road, and move safely over to side of the road to stop.
If it happens at a higher speed, you may want to use your hazard warning lights to alert traffic behind you that you have a problem, but remember that this will prevent them from seeing your indicators, and therefore your intention to pull over.
Once stopped, put the hazard warning lights on, and exit the vehicle.
Exiting the vehicle is important, because you do not want to be in a stationary vehicle should it get struck by other traffic.
Once out of the vehicle and safely away from passing traffic (behind a crash barrier if possible), then contact Ford road side assistance, who will be able to advise you further.
If you feel you’ve been forced to stop in a dangerous location, also consider contacting the local traffic police for additional advice.
Is there an official statement from Ford about the EcoBlue injector issue?
There is, and we’ve reproduced it in full here to avoid any confusion:
Ford 2.0-litre EcoBlue fuel injector issue – official statement from Ford
We realise that vehicle repairs are inconvenient to all customers, but especially for commercial vehicle operators where they can be disruptive to their business. While we will support all our customers affected by this issue, we aim to assist our customers as soon as possible who experience issues in order to minimize downtime and impact on their business. Transit, Transit Custom and Ranger customers will be prioritised including providing suitable courtesy vehicles where possible.
Additionally, after identifying the quality issue with certain diesel fuel injectors supplied by a third party for the 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel engine, Ford has been working with its supplier to secure additional injectors and, when sufficient stocks are available, intend to work with dealers to update customers’ vehicles not yet exhibiting issues in such a way as will minimise operating downtime.
Vehicle uptime is a major priority and we are working to resolve the issue and repair impacted vehicles as quickly as possible.
Also read:
>> Ford Transit Custom full review
>> Top 10 most reliable vans and pickups
