WASHINGTON, May 26 (UPI) -- U.S. officials said Sunday they are looking into consumer complaints about "sharp acceleration reduction" in the engines of some Ford Motor Co. pickups.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it will conduct a preliminary evaluation on the 2011 to 2013 Ford F-150 pickups equipped with the 3.5 liter EcoBoost V-6 engine, The New York Times reported.
The preliminary evaluation covers approximately 400,000 vehicles. The F-150 is one of Ford's most popular product lines.
The NHTSA said there were 95 complaints from owners who said the pickup occasionally lost power when trying to pass another vehicle. Approximately one-third of those people said the problem occurred under damp or rainy conditions.
The inquiry would be upgraded to an engineering analysis in the event investigators find additional cause for concern. A recall would be more likely if the agency moves forward to an engineering analysis, the Times reported.
Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker said the company would cooperate with the safety agency's investigation.
