My Ford Maverick EcoBoost caught on fire and exploded!!! 🔥

[LSchicago]

Everyone bitching about him not towing the car right off the bat must live in a place where no vehicle leaks oil.

Here in Southern CA, probably %70 of cars on the road leak oil too and they don't catch on fire or explode. Sometimes, you have to drive to a safer location to park and wait for a tow truck and that's what it looks like the OP did.

Oil leaking from the valve cover gaskets or rear main is a different thing than spraying on the hood. Seepage is normal. Spraying oil is not!

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[A Dodge that drives Fords]

I'm so sorry about your Maverick but I'm so glad you got out when you did.

 

[1929]

Sorry this happened to you. If you discover what mechanical failure resulted in the oil leak please share with the group.

 

[volksnuts]

I’m still curious why he backed it into that spot……
I guess there is a possibility the tow truck moved it to load it…. But that’s a long shot

 

[Senior Master Ford Guy]

Dang that sucks, I would be interested ( as a Ford technician) in finding the source of the oil leak that would have been spraying on to the under side of your hood. My first thought was perhaps you had checked oil level and added before you left home and forgot to put the cap on, but if you stopped to check it and added, you would have noticed the cap missing at that point, so..I'm puzzled by the source of the leak.

 

[Baloo]

Me either. Sounds silly

Wasn't one for ecoboost. It wasn't for oil leaking. It was a hybrid issue.

 

[Baloo]

i don’t know if it’s an isolated incident but being the few first owner, I hope this will open Ford eyes and do a safety recall due to being a new class of vehicle. A new truck shouldn’t catch on fire. Being 50 years old I had many vehicles and I thought I’ve seen it all

Working in public safety, vehicles, even new, catch fire. 99% of the time it is due to something the owner has done, and not the manufacturer.

 

[lsudelts]

On May 24 around 2pm on a sunny day at San Bernardino my Maverick truck unexpectedly caught on fire and explodes after it was leaking oil in the engine area. My family and I narrowly escaped the smoked filled cabin. Being a 2021 build and one of the few first owner of my wonderful truck, I’m still is a dazed on why my truck did this. I never had any issues and my truck build and was very reliable.

On May 24 my truck started to smoke on a mountain pass and I pulled over and popped the hood open. Oil was dripping off the ceiling of the hood but it was a small amount. So I turned around and that’s when the check engine light started to blink. No warning of the truck dashboard was advertised but only the change oil soon did since it was due for an oil change. I made it to a gas station and the smoke was minimal so I purchase a couple quarts and filled one quart in. I keep a funnel in the cubbies space of the engine bay . (In the fender wall) . Drove the Maverick to an empty parking lot so I can get it towed due to the smoke was getting heavy. As I parked the Maverick the cabin was filled with smoke and that’s when we decided to bail out of the Maverick and that when we saw fire erupting out of the outside of the windshield . As we ran away from the burning Maverick it exploded 3 times.

Oddly after the event I found my funnel about 15 ft away of My Maverick , my prize and joy never had an issue. Why did this happened??? We would almost became the few first fatality of Ford Maverick wonder but unpredictable 2.0 eco boost truck. I’m lost in words regarding of the incident. Is this a serious issue that will soon follow for future Maverick owners ?!?

Based on the original post and replies to comments. It’s the owner’s fault that it caught on fire. Sorry. That’s the way I see it. It should have stayed where it was at the first sign of a major oil leak.

 

[LSchicago]

I’m still curious why he backed it into that spot……
I guess there is a possibility the tow truck moved it to load it…. But that’s a long shot

The post says he parked in an empty lot to wait for the tow, so backing in makes the most sense. Driving away from the gas station didn't make sense. The tow should've been called to the gas station.

 

[Barracuda340]

WOW I am so glad I own the Hybrid Maverick and not have to baby it like the EcoBoost everytime I shut it off.

It's not about babying it. Letting it idle about 30 seconds is no big deal. When you pull into your driveway or anywhere else a turbo is slightly spooling up, you have to let the turbo come down to an idle speed which is about 10,000 rpm. When you switch the key off and the engine stops at this point the turbo gets zero oil pressure. It's now relying on the oil that left on its bearings as it freewheel slows to a stop. If you just pull in and shut the key off right away the turbo might be spinning at 25,000 or more, and now has to slow down and stop from a higher RPM and no oil pressure. You can plumb in a turbo luber which is an accumulator that hold oil. On shutdown it pushes pressurised oil through the turbos bearings. Not necessary these days if you run synthetic. I use Quaker State 5w30 full synthetic and motor craft filters, change it every 3,000 miles. I do the job myself. Costs me about $28 in materials. I average about 9,000 miles a year so for $84 and being patient to wait 30 ,seconds before shutdown is really no bother to me. I am also a mechanic and am well versed in turbo chargers, along with the costs to replace them.

 

[AtlasBlue]

This is sad and I am sorry for you.
But look at the bright side-

A blue / black / white tri-tone paint job would look awesome on your next one.

Hopefully insurance can help you now.

Best wishes.

I'm glad you and your family are okay but I agree that paint job would look sick!

 

[FischAutoTechGarten]

WOW I am so glad I own the Hybrid Maverick and not have to baby it like the EcoBoost everytime I shut it off.

oh the silly warring factons: hybrid vs eco... driving the exact same truck but arguing over a battery vs turbo and 500ccs of displacement.

 

[volksnuts]

The post says he parked in an empty lot to wait for the tow, so backing in makes the most sense. Driving away from the gas station didn't make sense. The tow should've been called to the gas station.

Right, seems odd the truck caught on fire AFTER parking
Maybe his timing was just right
I wonder if he’s bothering to read all the comments at this point

 

[Dignam]

Oil on underside of hood means it was pressurized and not a simple leak. I know hindsight is 20/20 but man... If that doesn't scream immediately stop driving I don't know what does.

Not to beat a dead horse or anything. Glad his family is okay!

 

[realshelby]

Turbos ARE plumbed in with the oiling system. Some have water cooled bearing housings. (Chrysler pioneered water cooled housings in the 1980s with Garrett) but all are lubricated with pressurized engine oil. This is why running synthetic oil, frequent changes, and letting the vehicle idle for 30 seconds to a minute when you pull into your driveway or any other parking spot before turning the engine off is essential. Dealing with a pinhole leak spraying oil everywhere where its hitting the underside of the hood along with hot exhaust manifold and turbo exhaust housing is a recipe for disaster.

It's not about babying it. Letting it idle about 30 seconds is no big deal. When you pull into your driveway or anywhere else a turbo is slightly spooling up, you have to let the turbo come down to an idle speed which is about 10,000 rpm. When you switch the key off and the engine stops at this point the turbo gets zero oil pressure. It's now relying on the oil that left on its bearings as it freewheel slows to a stop. If you just pull in and shut the key off right away the turbo might be spinning at 25,000 or more, and now has to slow down and stop from a higher RPM and no oil pressure. You can plumb in a turbo luber which is an accumulator that hold oil. On shutdown it pushes pressurised oil through the turbos bearings. Not necessary these days if you run synthetic. I use Quaker State 5w30 full synthetic and motor craft filters, change it every 3,000 miles. I do the job myself. Costs me about $28 in materials. I average about 9,000 miles a year so for $84 and being patient to wait 30 ,seconds before shutdown is really no bother to me. I am also a mechanic and am well versed in turbo chargers, along with the costs to replace them.

Absolutely unnecessary to idle your turbocharged engine before shutting it off in normal use. That was advised on non water cooled turbocharger housings, mainly in heavy duty use many years ago. I cannot find where idling for any amount of time is advised in the owners manual.
Ecoboost engines all have water cooled housings. Turbocharger shaft bearings are all roller or needle design, and unlike plain shell bearings they do not require constant pressure to survive. So that few seconds of wind down is not a problem for them.
BTW, Garrett and Chrysler did not invent water cooled turbocharger housings. GE had those in the 1950's........

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