Ford Motor Company has recalled more than 119,000 vehicles due to issues related to engine block heaters, according to recent safety recall reports from the company and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Multiple NHTSA reports related to engine block problems were issued last Wednesday. One (26V011) covers 116,672 potentially involved vehicles, another (26V012) covered 2,403 vehicles and a third (26E003) covers 2,633 potentially involved vehicles.
Included in the 26V011 recall report were 49,080 2013-2018 Ford Focus, 1,909 2015-2016 Lincoln MKC and 65,683 2013-2019 Ford Escape vehicles.
“Affected Ford and Lincoln vehicles are equipped with a suspect engine block heater. These vehicles are not produced in VIN order,” it said. “Information as to the applicability of this action to specific vehicles can best be obtained by either calling Ford’s toll-free line (1-866-436-7332) or by contacting a local Ford or Lincoln dealer who can obtain specific information regarding the vehicles from the Ford On-line Automotive Service Information System (OASIS) database.”
It also explained that the engine block heater installed in vehicles with a 2.0L engine “may experience overheating and develop a coolant leak through its element pins,” which could cause “a resistive short while the vehicle is parked and the block heater is plugged into an electrical supply.”
A short circuit in the engine block also increases the risk of underhood fires. That risk increases when the block heater is plugged into a 110-volt electrical supply without a functional circuit breaker or Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) power outlet.
Around a year ago, an issue pertaining to potential Engine Block Heater (EBH) fires across multiple model years and vehicle lines was brought to Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group (CCRG) for review, said the NHTSA. Last July, “microscopic images of three failed CV6T [engine block heaters] from fire-damaged 2014-2017 Escape 2.0L Engine vehicles were analyzed.”
Images revealed cracks in the solder joint around the base of the heater element, with a potential path for coolant to seep inside the cord connector pocket. Then, in August, the CCRG investigation team reviewed CT-scan images from the same failed CV6T parts that indicated “internal solder voids.”
From September to December of last year, Ford Engineering conducted thermal shock endurance tests and simulated different usage scenarios on 2.0L engine block applications. However, it did not find definitive evidence of the cause of the solder cracks or voids and a root cause for the cracks and voids was still under investigation as of last week.
“Ford is not aware of any reports of accident or injury related to this condition,” the NHTSA said.
Owners of impacted vehicles are expected to receive notifications through the mail beginning next month and into April. They will be instructed to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the engine block heater replaced when newly designed engine block heaters become available for no charge. Additionally, owners will be instructed not to plug in their vehicle’s block heater until the vehicle is remedied.
In the 26V011, engine block heater part numbers CV6T-6A051-AA/BA/CA were listed as the problematic parts. Included in the 26E003 recall were 1,757 2013-2019 block heaters with part number CV6Z-6A051-CA and 876 2013-2019 block heaters with part number CV6Z-6A051-AA.
“As of December 3, 2025, Ford is aware of 12 Ford Escape 2.0L vehicle owners that are alleging vehicle fires caused by the CV6T EBH,” said that recall report. It added that dealers should alert customers to the issue.
While the other recall notice (26V012) is also apparently related to the investigation that began last January, it concerns another finding that impacts 498 2016-2018 Ford Focus, 986 2024-2024 Ford Explorer and 919 2019-2019 Ford Explorer vehicles.
“On February 17, 2025, Ford also received a failed [engine block heater from a fire-damaged vehicle,” said the recall report. “An air leak test confirmed air egress through these cracks into the power cord pocket and high-magnification images also showed external cracks in the solder joint around the base of the heater element. Ford Central Labs performed a Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) analysis, Computed tomography scan (CT-scan), and X-ray analysis.”
This testing infdicated that the presence of coolant residues inside the engine block heater to power cord interface and other issues.
“As of September 10, 2025, Ford is aware of six customer complaints, 21 Transport Canada log claims, and 30 legal claims, representing a total of 46 unique VINs that allege vehicle fire due to the block heater,” the recall notice said. “The majority of the incidents occurred in Canada. On October 3, 2025, Ford approved Field Service Action (FSA) 25SA4 (NHTSA Recall 25V685) for this issue. On October 21, 2025, a discrepancy regarding the affected population was identified in the FSA 25SA4 filing.”
Following a review from the The Ford Engineering and CCRG team of the vehicle population, it was determined that certain vehicles were incorrectly omitted from the Field Service Action population. Earlier this month, Ford approved Field Service Action (FSA) 25SA4 Amendment for this issue to add the missing vehicle population.
“Ford is not aware of any reports of accidents or injuries related to this condition,” said the recall notice.