Ford has issued a vehicle recall order for about 433,000 cars and SUVs in North America due to a problem with the body control module software of the vehicles.
For the affected vehicle, there is the possibility that the engine would continue to run even after the driver has turned the ignition key to switch off the engine and removed the key, or after the driver has pressed the start/stop button for the engine.
"When I tried to shut the engine, it didn't," wrote the owner of a 2015 Escape to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) back in May.
"The motor was still running when it was being towed," the customer added.
According to Ford, the problem is due to a compliance issue with the software for its rollaway prevention and theft protection components.
The car company said that there have been no reports of any injuries or accidents that were caused by the problem.
The affected cars include certain Focus vehicles with model year 2015 manufactured at the Michigan Assembly Plant through the period of June 17, 2014 until June 12, 2015; certain C-MAX vehicles with model year 2015 manufactured at the same assembly plant through the period of April 22, 2014 until June 12, 2015; and certain Escape vehicles with model year 2015 manufactured at the Louisville Assembly Plant through the period of April 1, 2014 until June 12, 2015.
Out of the total 432,096 vehicles included in the recall order, 374,781 are located in the United States, 52,180 are located in Canada and 5,135 are located in Mexico.
According to Ford, customers who are able to return vehicles affected by the issue to dealers will receive a free update to their Ford vehicle's body control module software to address the problem.
Ford has also recently launched a car-sharing program that will allow owners of Ford vehicles to decrease costs by helping them rent out their vehicles.
Named the Peer-2-Peer Car Sharing program, it has invited around 26,000 Ford Motor Credit customers from six different cities across the United States and in London to rent out their Ford vehicles to other drivers for a short-term basis.
