Ford India recalls diesel EcoSport for glow plug module issue

Chennai, July 11, 2013: Ford India has said it is recalling its diesel-engined EcoSport compact SUV. On July 11, the company issued a statement which says, “As a part of routine checks, we discovered a potential concern with EcoSport diesel variants related to the Glow Plug Module which requires relocating the module. We are contacting customers to take their vehicle to their Ford dealership to have the work carried out. No accidents or injuries have been reported related to this issue and this is a proactive, voluntary recall action to ensure customers’ safety and satisfaction.”

Unlike petrol engines which use a spark plug to ignite an air-fuel mixture, diesel engines rely on the heat of highly-compressed air to ignite a precise amount of fuel to initiate combustion. Heating the air to a minimum starting temperature of 850degC is critical for diesel engine start-up. In low temperatures, factors such as cold intake air and cold cylinder walls hinder the attainment of the necessary starting temperature. In these situations, glow plugs function as an additional heat source to bring the intake air up to the temperature necessary to initiate the combustion cycle.

The EcoSport was launched just over two weeks ago at an aggressive price with the base petrol model starting at Rs 5.59 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The compact SUV has two petrol and one diesel engine options. The vehicle is believed to have got 20,000 bookings. Despite this glitch, production continues at the company’s Chennai plant. Ford India says the response to the vehicle has exceeded its expectations. The vehicle is targeted at the Renault Duster which was launched nearly a year ago and has sold over 50,000 units.