Five warranty claims, all it took to set off one of Ford‘s more embarrassing engineering investigations in recent memory. Five owners, fewer than 6,000 miles on the clock, all reporting power loss. All outside North America. Ford started digging in July 2025, and what they found wasn’t pretty.
The issue sits inside the EGR valve. Specifically, the mushroom-shaped valve head, part number P2GE-9D460-AE, supplied by South Korean manufacturer Korens, can detach entirely due to insufficient laser weld penetration at the joint. Ford reproduced the failure in-house, which is either reassuring or mildly terrifying.
Initially, engineers believed power loss only occurred at low speeds. Field reports had other ideas. Additional warranty claims pointed to sudden engine shutdowns at highway speeds, which is the kind of update that turns an inconvenience into an actual safety concern. More investigation followed. A recall was inevitable.
Provisional owner notifications are scheduled between March 16 and March 20, 2026. The fix, replacement EGR valve assemblies, is still being developed. In other words, Ford knows what’s broken, knows how it breaks, and is still working on how to un-break it.
The affected lineup is substantial. On the Ford side: Mustang (2025 model year, where the 2.3L EcoBoost makes 315 hp and 350 lb-ft), Bronco, Ranger, Explorer, Escape, Bronco Sport, Maverick, and the now-discontinued Edge. Lincoln contributes the Nautilus and Corsair to the recall roster. The EcoBoost engines involved span three displacements, 2.3L, 2.0L, and the 1.5L three-cylinder.
That last one deserves a special mention. The 1.5L turbo-three, which Ford somehow decided was appropriate for off-road-flavored crossovers like the Bronco Sport, already carries a reputation for water pump failures, dodgy fuel injectors, cold-start ticking, and occasional turbo drama. Adding “valve head detachment” to that CV doesn’t exactly help the argument for keeping it in the lineup.
The Escape, still configurable despite being out of production, remains the most affordable Ford in the US equipped with the 1.5L. A bargain.
