Ford issues safety warning for over 4.3 million vehicles — as a software glitch sparks one of the biggest recalls for years
Ford issues a massive recall that could affect 4.4 million cars, as software gremlin makes towing unsafe.
Ford is recalling the F-250, F-150, Expedition, Maverick and moreThe company was first notified of the issue in October 2025An over-the-air software update will be released to fix the defect
The Ford Motor Company is recalling nearly 4.4 million vehicles in the US due to a software glitch that could cause taillights, turn signals and brakes on trailers to lose communication with the towing vehicle and stop working.
Drivers who may have affected vehicles may see a pop-up message indicating a “trailer brake module fault” or a “blind spot assist system fault,” according to Ford, which also said that it was not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the issue to date.
The recall, which potentially affects the F-250, F-150, Expedition, Maverick, Ranger, E-Transit and Lincoln Navigator models, is due to an integrated trailer module not communicating as intended with the company’s SYNC 4 infotainment system.
Forbes reports that Ford issued 153 recalls in 2025, the most ever by a single manufacturer in a single year in the US, involving about 12.9 million vehicles.
In addition to this, recalls that affect more than two million vehicles are rare and have only happened a number of times over the past decade.
Tesla recalled more than two million vehicles in December 2023 over a flaw in its Autopilot system, after an investigation found it failed to adequately detect if the driver was paying attention while the system was engaged.
Ford under fire
The fix for this particular software glitch seems relatively simple, with Ford stating that it will issue an over-the-air software update for trailer control modules in the affected vehicles, starting in March. Drivers may also bring their vehicles to dealerships for the repair at no cost.
The recall affects the Ford F-150 (model years 2021-2026), Ford F-250 Super Duty (2022-2026), Ford Ranger (2024-2026), Ford Maverick (2022-2026), Ford Expedition (2022-2026), Ford E-Transit (2026), Ford F-250 SD (2022-2026), and the Ford Lincoln Navigator (2022–2026). Almost 2.3 million of the recalls affect the F-150, followed by over 1.1 million of the F-250 Super Duty truck.
It hasn't been a great week for Ford. This news comes off the back of the revelation that the company will charge 2026 Mustang Mach-E customers for a feature that was once free.
The front stowage area, or 'frunk', has come under fire from certain internet critics, as Ford decided to stop offering it as a no cost option due to the fact it felt customers weren't really using it.
