Ford recalls 255,000 Focus vehicles over engine stall risk (Oliver Berg/picture alliance via Getty Images)A canister purge valve defect that can cause engines to shut down without warning while a vehicle is in motion has prompted Ford to pull back 255,404 vehicles, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Friday.According to the regulator, the affected vehicles are 2012–2018 Focus models whose prior repairs were performed improperly. As part of the remedy, Ford dealerships will reprogram the powertrain control module software, with no charge to customers.NHTSA noted that two symptoms can help owners identify whether their vehicle is affected: a warning light appearing on the instrument cluster and a fuel gauge that fails to display an accurate reading.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe recall is the latest in a string of safety actions Ford has taken in recent years. The company recalled more than 254,000 Lincoln and Explorer SUVs over image processing software that could reboot on its own, disabling rearview cameras and driver assistance features including pre-collision assist and lane-keeping assist. Ford also recalled about 1.4 million F-150 pickup trucks after NHTSA linked unexpected downshifts to two injuries and one accident.Software problems have figured prominently in Ford's recent recall activity. In the first half of 2025, Ford issued 88 separate recalls, a pace that at the time appeared to put the company on track for the most recalls by any automaker in a single year, according to prior Quartz coverage citing The Wall Street Journal. Ford COO Kumar Galhotra said the elevated recall activity reflects an intensive strategy to find and fix hardware and software issues, adding that the company has doubled its safety team and expanded testing on critical systems.