— Ford is blaming the recent recall of their 2013 1.6-liter Ford Escape on a part maker based in Ashley, Indiana.
According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ford believes that TI Group Automotive Systems supplied a fuel line that had been mechanically scored during its manufacture.
The scored fuel line can split and spring a leak, which appears to be what happened to a Ford employee in Kentucky.
The employee was driving an Escape to prepare for shipment when a fire occurred under the hood. Ford investigated but could find no cause of the fire.
Two days later another Ford employee experienced a fire, and over a week later a Canadian Escape driver experienced a fire in their vehicle.
All the subject vehicles were equipped with the same fuel line and 1.6L engine.
An engineering analysis established the cause of the fires was the fuel line.
