Imagine hearing your Ford Escape or Bronco is at risk of leaking gas and spontaneously combusting, and under recall. So you race to the nearest Ford dealership to have your fuel injectors fixed. Then a year later Ford notifies you that one, it tried to fix the problem with a software patch and two, it failed to get even the software installed properly. So your crossover is recalled again. Feels like déjà vu with a side of gasoline fumes.

What the Ford gas leak recall means for Escape and Bronco Sport owners

This latest Ford recall affects 33,576 crossovers—specifically 2020–2022 Escapes and 2021–2023 Bronco Sports built before January 2023. These vehicles were previously recalled under campaigns 22V-859 and 24V-187. The problem? Fuel injectors were at risk of cracking and leaking gasoline onto hot engine parts. Yeah, that’s worth taking seriously.

To me, a fuel injector cracking sounds like a serious hardware issue. While Ford’s original gas leak recall admitted “The root cause is still under investigation” the automaker blamed “The combination of fuel injector design and engine software.” So instead of replacing the faulty injectors on the 1.5-liter I3s, Ford wrote a software patch “to detect a pressure drop in the fuel rail, provide instrument cluster messaging…to seek service,…disable the high-pressure fuel pump, derate engine power output and reduce temperatures.”

What about the fuel leaking all over your engine? As part of the recall, Ford also installed a drain tube so leaking gas wouldn’t pile up too quickly.

In plain English? Ford didn’t swap out the faulty parts. It tried to push out a software patch instead. That’s like sticking a smoke detector on a candle and calling it fireproof. The NHTSA said, “Ford’s remedy program does not address the root cause of the issue.” But that’s not all.

Ford Bronco and Escape software recall woes

In early 2025, Ford began auditing how many of its vehicles recalled for a software issue had actually been fixed. The results are alarming. The automaker has announced over 24 recalls in just 12 weeks, including many re-recalls for vehicles that supposedly had their software updated at a dealership.

The latest repeat recall is for 33,576 Ford Escape and Bronco Sport vehicles that never got their software updated to monitor for a gas leak. Presumably, any that were in for the recall before actually have drain hoses installed. And maybe that’s why Ford can say it’s not aware of any injuries or crashes caused by this problem.

If you’re concerned about your Ford, call your local dealership to ask if it’s subject to open recalls. You can also call the NHTSA hotline with your VIN ready: 1-888-327-4236.