Several Ford EcoBoost engines use a wet belt-in-oil system to drive the engine’s oil pump instead of a traditional chain or gear. In these designs, a rubber/composite belt runs inside the crankcase oil and drives the oil pump. Premature belt wear and debris can lead to oil pump starvation, loss of oil pressure, and catastrophic engine damage.
For the 1.0L EcoBoost, NHTSA opened a defects investigation into oil pump failures after numerous complaints of loss of power in EcoSport, Fiesta, and Focus models; Ford subsequently issued a recall covering roughly 140,000 vehicles for loss of oil pressure and engine stalling risk. The underlying concern centers on the wet belt-driven oil pump design, where belt wear and debris can cause oil starvation and sudden engine failure. Owner and technician reports have also raised durability concerns for the 2.7L EcoBoost’s wet belt oil pump in F‑150 applications.
| Year(s) | Make | Model | Should Purchase? | Reason | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 | Ford | Fiesta | Caution | Wet timing belt drives cams and oil pump. Known contamination and failure risk. |
Engine: 1.0L EcoBoost (Fox) Engine: M1JE Belt immersed in oil pan, rubber particles clog pickup screen. |
|
| 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 | Ford | Fiesta | Caution | Same wet belt design, contamination risk. |
Engine: 1.0L EcoBoost (Fox) Engine: M1DA Oil pump belt failure = catastrophic engine damage. |
|
| 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 | Ford | Focus / Puma | Caution | Revised EcoBoost uses chain for cams, but oil pump still belt-driven. |
Engine: 1.0L EcoBoost (Revised Fox) Engine: M1FE Small wet belt drives oil pump, still contamination risk. |
|
| 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 | Ford | Focus / Puma | Caution | Same revised EcoBoost, oil pump belt persists. |
Engine: 1.0L EcoBoost (Revised Fox) Engine: M1FA Belt marketed as “lifetime” but failures reported earlier. |
|
| 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 | Ford | F-150 | Caution | 2.7L EcoBoost V6 uses wet belt oil pump drive. |
Engine: 2.7L EcoBoost (Nano) Engine: L3B Belt submerged in sump, Kevlar reinforced but still failure-prone. |
|
| 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 | Ford | Edge ST / Lincoln Nautilus | Caution | Same 2.7L EcoBoost Nano engine with wet belt oil pump. |
Engine: 2.7L EcoBoost (Nano) Engine: L3E Oil pump belt failure = catastrophic damage. |
|
| 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 | Ford | F-150 (5.0L V8) | Caution | Gen IV Coyote V8 uses wet belt for oil pump (F-150 only). |
Engine: 5.0L Coyote V8 Gen IV Engine: MNAE Mustang retained chain drive, F-150 uses belt. Kevlar reinforced but still oil immersed. |