Ford is recalling more than 250,000 vehicles after determining that an earlier repair tied to an engine-stall issue may not have been completed correctly, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The action covers 255,404 Ford Focus cars from the 2012 through 2018 model years. Ford said a canister purge valve could become stuck open, a defect that may cause the engine to stall unexpectedly while the vehicle is in motion and raise the risk of a crash or injury.
The safety agency said affected drivers may see the Malfunction Indicator Light turn on, notice incorrect fuel gauge readings, receive inaccurate distance-to-empty estimates, or experience other drivability problems.
As a remedy, dealerships will install an updated powertrain software calibration at no cost to owners.
Ford expects to mail notification letters to owners between July 6 and July 10. Vehicle owners can contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 or check with a local Ford or Lincoln dealer to confirm whether their car is included in the recall.
Ford has assigned the recall number 26S40, while NHTSA lists it as 26V369. The agency said the original recall tied to the issue was numbered 18V735.
Vehicle identification numbers involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6.
