Ford Issues Recall for Focus E.V. and Ambulances Ford Motor The 2012 Ford Focus Electric vehicle. Following an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ford says it will recall about 2,500 of its 2012-14 Focus Electric because of a power-loss problem. Ford told the safety agency that a software issue in the powertrain control module could cause a loss of power to the front wheels. However, the automaker said the steering and brakes would work normally and that it was not aware of any accidents related to the defect. Ford told N.H.T.S.A. that by the middle of August it had received 16 reports from Focus Electric owners who had experienced the problem. The company's critical review group was given the task of reviewing the problem at that time. Ford decided on Sept. 5 to refer the issue to its customer satisfaction forum because of a "low occurrence rate." But the next day, the agency said it would investigate 12 consumer complaints that it had received about the power loss. Those complaints included one owner being stranded on a highway in what she thought was a hazardous location. On Sept. 10, four days after the agency announced its investigation, the Ford customer satisfaction forum "reviewed the concern and recommended further analysis of the reports from the field." Ford says that analysis, including further reports of problems, led to the recall. Ford was "following our process. As we were conducting our evaluation, N.H.T.S.A. opened its investigation," Kelli Felker, a Ford spokeswoman, wrote in an email. Ford described the recall as voluntary. However, once a manufacturer is aware of a safety problem it must - within five business days - inform the agency of its plan for a recall or face a civil fine. In a second action, Ford will recall about 3,100 Super Duty ambulances from the 2011-12 model years for a problem that could shut down the 6.7-liter turbocharged V8 diesel engines. The automaker said a problem with an exhaust-gas temperature sensor could cause the engine to stop "and not be restarted for at least one hour." The automaker said it was not aware of any accidents or problems for patients related to the problem.