- Ford is recalling 4,380,609 vehicles due to software issues.
- Trailer brake lights and indicators may fail to operate.
- This recall affects popular models such as the Ford F-150, Ford Maverick, and Ford Expedition.
Ford Motor Company is recalling more than 4 million vehicles due to software problems. Some models, including the automaker’s best-selling F-150 pickup, may have an integrated trailer module (ITM) that could lose communication capabilities with the vehicle. This can cause the brake lights and trailer brake indicators to malfunction.
The recall impacts the 2022-2026 Ford F-250, 2026 Ford E-Transit, 2022-2026 Lincoln Navigator, 2022-2026 Ford Expedition, 2022-2026 Ford Maverick, 2024-2026 Ford Ranger, and 2021-2026 Ford F-150.
Photo by: Ford
The Ford F-Series accounts for the majority of those recalls—3.4 million vehicles. Ford is recalling 412,105 Mavericks, 317,604 Expeditions, 129,836 Rangers, and 75,029 Navigators. This recall impacts 4,380,609 models
According to recall reportThe software vulnerability “allows a potential race condition to occur” between the ITM and CAN Standby Control bits. Race conditions occur when multiple processes access shared data at the same time, with the outcome depending on the order of execution, and it is this unpredictable timing that can cause failure.
If this occurs, the owner will see a pop-up message indicating “Trailer Brake Module Error” or “Blind Spot Assist System Error”. Ford first became aware of the potential problem last October but closed its investigation a few weeks later.
- 2026 Ford E-Transit — 13,115 Affected
- 2022-2026 Lincoln Navigator — 75,209 Affected
- Ford Ranger 2024-2026 — 129,836 Affected
- 2022-2026 Ford Expedition — 317,604 Affected
- Ford Maverick 2022-2026 — 412,105 Affected
- 2022-2026 Ford F-250 — 1,135,063 Affected
- Ford F-150 2021-2026 — 2,297,857 Affected
- Total — 4,380,609 Affected
In December, Ford discussed the issue with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration during its monthly review, and the agency stated that it could be considered non-compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
A month later, Ford reopened its investigation, found 405 warranty claims potentially related to the problem, and issued a recall. The automaker said it is not aware of any accidents, injuries or fires related to this problem
Ford will fix the issue with an over-the-air update that will apply to affected vehicles in May. Owners can also take their vehicles to a Ford Motor Company service center for updates. The company will begin notifying affected owners starting in late March.
Motorcycle Pickup1: Ford Motor Company has conducted 10 recalls this year, and this is the largest recall ever. This affects more than 3.0 million F-Series models as of 2021, but at least it’s an easy fix with an OTA update. That’s much better than having to take your truck to the dealer and just wait for new software in the modern era.
Source:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
