Ford is recalling more than 250,000 vehicles that were incorrectly repaired under a previous recall meant to fix a problem that caused the engine to stall while driving, according to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration.

The recall includes 255,404 Ford Focus automobiles, model years 2012-2018. Ford said the canister purge valve may stick open, causing the engine to stall unexpectedly while driving, increasing the risk of a crash and injury.

"Affected vehicles may illuminate a Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) or customers may observe inaccurate fuel gauge indication, inaccurate distance to empty indication and/or have drivability concerns," the federal agency said

To fix the problem, dealers will provide a powertrain software update free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed between July 6 and July 10. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 or a local Ford or Lincoln dealer to see if their vehicle is impacted.

Ford's number for this recall is 26S40. The federal agency's number for this recall is 26V369. The original NHTSA recall number for this issue is 18V735.

Vehicle identification numbers involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6.