Winter maintenance just got a lot more stressful for roughly 119,000 Ford owners. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has officially sounded the alarm on a defect involving engine block heaters that could turn a routine cold-start preparation into an under-hood bonfire.
This isn’t just a minor glitch, but a specific flaw where the heater can crack and leak coolant, leading to a nasty short circuit the moment you plug it into a standard 110-volt outlet. The Ford recall cast a surprisingly wide net, catching everything from the 2016-2018 Focus and 2019/2024 Explorer to a fleet of 2.0-liter engine models including the 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and the 2015-2016 Lincoln MKC.
Essentially, if you’re trying to keep your engine warm in a parking lot, you might inadvertently be hosting a terrible BBQ party. Ford was quite blunt in its warning: stop using the block heater immediately. The risk of fire exists exclusively when the vehicle is parked and connected to a power source, so as long as you stay unplugged, your driveway should remain fire-free.
For those currently shivering in their driveways, patience is required. Provisional notification letters are expected to hit mailboxes by February 13, but the actual “final fix” isn’t anticipated until April. In the meantime, the Blue Oval is offering two paths to salvation, both of which are free of charge. Once parts are available, dealers will install a newly developed heating element. Alternatively, if you’ve decided you’re done with the whole “heating” concept entirely, dealers can simply remove the engine block heater and install a threaded plug.
While a recall of 119,000 vehicles is never great news, at least the solution is straightforward: keep the cord away from the outlet. Until that permanent fix arrives in the spring, it seems Ford owners will have to choose between a cold engine or a very hot car.
