Owners of 2013 model Ford Escapes with 1.6-liter engines should stop driving them immediately because the engine could catch fire, Ford Motor Co. said Thursday.
The automaker said an engine compartment fuel line could split and leak fuel, causing an under-the-hood fire.
Ford recalled about 11,500 of the new vehicles, most of them in the United States and the rest in Canada. About 4,800 of the SUVs were sold to customers; most of the others are on dealer lots.
Ford says owners should contact their local Ford dealers immediately so loaner vehicles can be delivered and their Escapes picked up to be taken to the dealerships for repair.
Dealers were also told to stop selling 2013 Ford Escape SUVs with 1.6-liter engines until they are repaired.
It is extremely rare for an automaker to warn drivers to stop driving their vehicles immediately. "This is not a routine action that we are taking but we do believe it is appropriate in these circumstances," said Ford spokeswoman Marcey Zwiebel.
Ford reported three incidents of under-the-hood fires. Two occurred at the production plant as the Escapes were being shuttled from the assembly line to a parking lot to await shipment. The third occurred in a customer's vehicle, near Toronto.
Zwiebel said no injuries were reported.
It was the second recall for the 2013 Ford Escape this month. Earlier, Ford recalled 8,266 Escapes due to improper positioning of carpet that may reduce clearance for the brake pedal.
Honda recalls CR-V, Acura ILX: Honda recalled more than 321,000 small SUVs and cars Thursday because the doors may not close.
The recall affects 314,000 CR-V small SUVs from the 2012 model year and about 7,300 Acura ILX small luxury cars from the 2013 model year. Honda says that if the inside driver or passenger door handles are used at the same time as the door locks, the inner door latch may not work. This means a door may not latch, or it could latch and open when the locks are used.
The company says no crashes or injuries have been reported because of the problem.
Information from Associated Press was used in this report.
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