Ford to recall 441K vehicles over safety concerns

March 30 (UPI) -- Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday it will issue recalls for 441,000 vehicles to fix potential safety hazards that could cause an engine fire or a door to swing open with the vehicle in motion.

The recall includes the Ford Fusion sedan and Escape sport-utility vehicle and will cost the automaker an estimated $295 million to fix.

The automaker said versions of its 1.6-liter GTDI engine can be susceptible to overheating due to a lack of coolant circulation that can cause a crack in the cylinder head and an oil leak. Ford said 29 vehicle fires have been documented in the United States and Canada, though no injuries were reported. Some 230,0756 vehicles will be part of that recall.

That recall includes certain versions of the 2014 Ford Escape, 2014 and 2015 Ford Fiesta ST, 2013 and 2014 Ford Fusion and 2013 and 2015 Ford Transit Connect.

Separately, Ford said it would recall 210,619 vehicles, many of them the same models, to fix a potentially faulty door latch that can break when pressure is applied to it, causing the door to swing open while the car is in motion.

That recall includes the 2014 Fiesta, 2013 and 2014 Fusion and 2013 and 2014 Lincoln MKZ.