WARNING: Don't Charge Your Ford Fusion Energi As It Could Catch Fire

Jul. 01, 2023 2:03 PM ET byMartin Aguilar Recall /1 Comment

The Blue Oval brand has yet to find a fix for the issue.

Ford is recalling nearly 15,000 Fusion PHEV units from the 2019 to 2020 model years due to the risk of catching fire when charging. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated that there were reports of seven fires involving the hybrid sedan.

NHTSA'ssafety recall reportstated that 270 warranty claims cited loss of power on the vehicle, which is also the problem that theHyundai Ioniq 5is currently facing.

The recall only applies to Ford Fusion PHEV or融合Energivehicles produced between December 6, 2019, and July 27, 2020. The affected vehicles have a 2.0-liter PHEV drivetrain and 30Ah high-voltage batteries.

Of note, the regular Fusion hybrid and non-hybrid sedans are not included or affected by the recall. But, this issue adds to the previous recall concerning the Ford Fusion'sfront brake failure.

Ford stated that the Fusion PHEV battery's Current Interrupt Device (CID) may send excess voltage and current through the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM). This damages the BECM, leading to power loss or fire risk. CIDs are meant to cut off an electrical circuit if it detects a battery default. Ford added that it doesn't know the main reason for the issue.

The Blue Oval also confirmed that the five fire reports happened at its dealerships, a familiar scenario when the F-150 Lightning truckscaught fireat Ford's Dearborn lot.

After the initial assessment, Ford's High Voltage Battery Systems Team concluded that the fires originated in the BECM. Meanwhile, the two other fires occurred while the vehicle was being driven. All fires concerning the Ford Fusion PHEV happened between March 2022 and May 2023.

That said, Ford advises all affected Fusion PHEV owners to refrain from charging their vehicles to reduce the risk of fire and power loss until a remedy is available. Ford will send notifications via mail to affected owners and inform them when further information about the issue is available. Mailing of owner notification letters is expected to start on July 10, 2023.