Ford recalls nearly a million newer vehicles in Canada, U.S. over fuel pump concerns

Ford is recalling nearly a million cars in Canada and the United States because the low-pressure fuel pump inside the vehicles may fail — and potentially cause an engine stall while driving, increasing crash risks.

The recall covers:

Ford plans to send out notification letters to affected owners starting Monday to warn of safety risks related to potential fuel pump failure. But a remedy is still "under development," the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall report notes.

It wasn't immediately clear if there was an estimate for when a fix would become available. But this week's recall report noted that owners will receive an additional letter with instructions to take their car to an authorized dealer for that service when the time comes — and that there will be no charge.

The Associated Press reached out to Ford for further comments on Thursday.

The Michigan-based automaker isn't aware of any accidents or injuries related to this recall, this week's report notes. But owners should look out for potential warnings. Prior to fuel pump failure, customers may encounter poor engine performance, for example, a check engine light or a decrease in engine power.

Fuel pump failure is "more likely to occur" during warm weather or if there's low fuel in the tank, the recall report notes. And loss of fuel pressure and flow can be caused by internal contamination of a car's jet pump, amid other factors. Ford also identified supplier changes during a review of the manufacturing process, the report adds.

Ford estimates that 10 per cent of the 850,318 vehicles it's recalling in the U.S. have this fuel pump risk.

Transport Canada said 107,534 in this country are affected under the recall.