There’s a crisis occurring in the giant company of the automotive sector: A huge problem has been identified in a batch of nearly 300,000 Ford vehicles, requiring a recall of the defective models. This problem could have catastrophic potential if not identified in time, putting drivers’ lives at risk, and this situation may not be great to the image of the giant automaker. Find out exactly what the problem is and how to identify if your car has been affected.
What caused this recall, and what risks are involved?
Some Ford customers, after purchasing their cars, began to notice a strange problem directly impacting the car’s performance. These drivers began reporting to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that they were having difficulty applying the brakes on their cars, needing to press harder on the brake pedal.
After reports of problems with the Ford models, an accurate investigation process was carried out by NHTSA together with Ford and its partner dealership, Lincoln, to identify the problem and the necessary support to these customers. They then identified that the drivers’ difficulty in braking was due to a brake fluid leak.
The great risk of this situation is that, due to the difficulty in braking, caused by the brake fluid leak, the car may completely lose braking power, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle, which can be a cause of serious accidents. What seemed to be just a technical detail can have major consequences in practice.
Which cars are affected, and how will owners be informed?
After investigation, Ford noticed that the affected vehicles had one similarity: they were from the same batch and dealership. The problem was occurring specifically in the Expedition and Lincoln-branded Navigator SUV models, which were built at the Kentucky automaker between the 2022 and 2024 model years.
To identify if you are one of those affected, you have to search for your vehicle identification number (VIN). This is a unique code of 17 characters (numbers and uppercase letters) that identifies any specific vehicle to its fabrication batch. Therefore, to find out if your car may present this problem of brake fluid leak, check your car’s code.
The solution to the problem will be to replace the front brake, the exact spot where the leak was identified after analysis, on all cars, at no additional cost to the owners. Ford has assured that it will contact all owners of the cars with defects, traced by manufacturing batch, and these customers will be notified about this recall between May 26 and 30, 2025.
What to do if your car is under recall
You don’t need to worry if you find out that your car is part of this recall. The first step is to schedule the repair with the dealership after being notified by Ford, or you can also proactively seek support from the authorized dealer. At the dealership, the part will be identified and replaced, and after that, you can return home safely.
Recalls in major automotive brands are relatively common, due to some error in their manufacturing process. What cannot happen is that the car owners ignore a recall, as this can have consequences for the safety and well-being, not only of the driver, but of anyone who may be involved in traffic.
This type of problem can take a while to show signs. Even if your car is running well until now, have it checked to ensure your safety.
Be aware and don’t leave your car’s inspection for later
When a recall involves something as important as a car’s brakes, it’s important to take extra caution to resolve the problem. So, pay attention to the date you are notified and take your vehicle to the dealership. Remember that this service is free, and it is your right as a consumer to have this service. For more information about this recall, you can check the 25V-314 report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
