Ford is very proud of its smallest engine, the 1.0-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost. And it decided to bring it stateside in the Fiesta while offering it as the base engine in the EcoSport. Despite its size, it makes respectable power: 123 horsepower and 125 lb-ft of torque.
Unfortunately, the engineering brilliance of this little mill has been greatly overshadowed by life-threatening issues. In fact, Ford may be facing a class-action lawsuit over this engine. The lawsuit stems from Louise O’Riordan, who purchased a Ford Focus with the 1.0-liter EcoBoost back in 2014. Even though her car only had 32,000 miles on the odometer, the engine seized on the highway, almost causing a fatal accident. The issue involved a coolant hose, which was prone to fail at high temperatures in cars built from October 2011 to October 2013. Ford issued a service action back in 2015, and has fixed 86% of the afflicted cars, but not before owners were forced to shell out of repairs.
Before the recall was issued, some owners reported costs of around $10,500 to replace the engine. Other vehicles even caught fire, making them irreparable. In O’Rioran’s case, Ford initially covered 60% of the repair costs before agreeing to pay the bill in full 11 weeks later. If the lawsuit goes through, Ford could be forced to pay $1.3 billion to affected owners.
