Ford Issues Do-Not-Drive Advisory for Certain 2021-2026 Maverick; Owners Urged to Contact Dealerships Immediately (June 1, 2026)

[El Kabong]

Hopefully Ford will soon release how to visually check to see if there is a defect?

Already posted:

It's not the press-fit interface between the ball joint and the control arm, but that the ball joint might not have been fully inserted into the spindle.

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[Chops]

Already posted:

I did see that - but was not sure if that was our Maverick. If that is our Maverick, fantastic.

 

[Chops]

It's not the press-fit interface between the ball joint and the control arm, but that the ball joint might not have been fully inserted into the spindle.

Great diagram Darnon! Is that the Maverick and how to visually check ourselves?

 

[Chops]

Take a few minutes and read the recall report filed with the NHTSA, you'll see this IS Ford getting its act together, setting an example other manufacturers should follow.

This problem was found by the chassis team while looking at a single warrenty claim from the previous model year, the description of the defect didn't look right so they went looking and found another customer who had a similar (significant) front end allignment problem 4 years before that. Additional research found one additional vehicle flagged (and fixed) at the factory.

That's 3 total vehicles from over million produced over 6 years. None of them were Mavericks FWIW but they were incliuded in the recall because of the similar components and assembly methods.

Ford is likely going to spend well over $1 million inspecting, repairing if necessary, and providing rental cars to owners, because a potentially serious problem which might impact 0.5%.

The number of recalls a manufacturer issues each year, time between recalls, or the count of vehicles involved is a terrible way to judge quality once you take time to understand how and why those recalls are initiated.

I don't worry about Ford and it's recalls, I worry about other manufacturers and their lack of recalls on the vehicles sharing the road with me.

I especailly worry about the Toyota in my garage that I've been waiting for months for parts to complete a battery recall of similar scope. In Toyota's report to the NHTSA, they admit they are "unable to provide an estimate" of vehicles affected and more concerning their answer on fire risk is basically "it depends".

Is Ford perfect, certainly not, but the fact that they proactively look for problems and don't hesitate to spend the money and image capital to fix them. It amazes me how Fords record keeping and engineering process enable them to produce a list of VINs they want to inspect within days, while Toyota has been shoulder shruging for years a similarly low probably but high impact risk.

Looking at the Toyota and Ford recall reports side by side, Ford is is clearly FAR MORE transparent and demonstrates that they proactively looking to improve quality, while Toyota's report shows no evidence of this kind of culture.

While Ford says "we've got this", the NHTSA had to open an investigation on Toyota's handling of the recall because of the 11 reported fires. Reading that investigation, it's clear the problem is Toyota's design is specific to Toyota batteries and they never dreamed owners might replace it with a different or upgraded one.

From my POV and whats sitting in my garage right now, its Toyota that needs to get its act together

Thank you for posting the NHTSA report! That must be fresh off the press

Edit - The defect originated at the Hermosillo Stamping Plant across from the Main Assembly Line. Just fyi..,

 

[dlivry7]

unlike other manufacturers, Ford answers that question in their reporting to the NHTSA. It's a facinating read. The short answer is good record keeping and risk decisions being made by engineers, rather than executives.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2023/RCLRPT-23V734-5615.PDF

 

[jyoshcyox]

Ford knows exaclty which vehicles they want to look at for this problem and all the VINs were uploaded ot the NHTSA database by May 29. If your VIN didn't get flagged, whatever problems you are experiencing aren't related to this defect.

The only vehicles included in the recall are those sitting on dealer lots, sold in the past 3 months, or those that records at the factry give Ford concern that they might not have been sufficiently repair when the problem.

They missed the initial batch for 6 years, your confidence they couldn't have possibly missed a few more is comical.

 

[Deweyordeweynot]

Press Release:

Ford Issues Do-Not-Drive Advisory for Certain 2021-2026 Bronco Sport and Maverick Vehicles; Owners Urged to Contact Dealerships Immediately

June 1, 2026

Ford Motor Company is advising owners of approximately 4,653 Bronco Sport and Maverick vehicles from the 2021 to 2026 model years in the United States and Federal Territories to stop driving their vehicles immediately. This "Do Not Drive" advisory is due to a potential suspension assembly concern. 

Ford is working closely with dealers to provide customers with complimentary towing of their vehicles for inspection and repair as needed. Customers will also be provided the option to have their vehicle inspected by dealership personnel at the customer’s location via mobile service where applicable.

On affected vehicles, the front lower control arm ball joints of the vehicle’s suspension system may not have been assembled correctly. If a joint fails while the vehicle is moving, the driver could lose steering control increasing the risk of a crash. Dealers will visually inspect the front lower control arm ball joint assembly on both the left and right sides, and repair, as necessary at no cost to the customer.

Customers can determine if their vehicle is included in this recall (26S36) by entering their 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN) at www.ford.com/support/recalls. Owners may also contact Ford’s Customer Service Center at 1-833-807-3673 for assistance in arranging a tow and repair.

My '24 XLT hybrid isn't on the list as of this morning...

 

[mspmms]

Elon made mine !

Meme => link

 

[Cancunbadlands]

It's not the press-fit interface between the ball joint and the control arm, but that the ball joint might not have been fully inserted into the spindle.

Jorge screwed up big time on Monday shift

 

[icegradner]

It shows up when the manufacturer commits to it showing up, which varies by recall. Ford uploaded all the impacted VINs by May 29, the same day dealers were notified.

If your VIN isnt on the NHTSA or Ford websites, your truck isn't included in the recall, no need to keep an eye on it.

You do you, okay? My truck will never show up on the NHTSA website, because I don’t have a US VIN, not being in the US.

 

[Reece @ DI]

They missed the initial batch for 6 years, your confidence they couldn't have possibly missed a few more is comical.

100%. I had to have both front struts and BOTH control arms replaced at 34k miles. The control arms failed due to failed ball joints. I was outside of warranty by years, but Ford did help with some of the cost for the repair. I was expecting to be part of this recall, but surprised that I am not. Either way, they have suspension issues with many of the early builds.

 

[Chops]

100%. I had to have both front struts and BOTH control arms replaced at 34k miles. The control arms failed due to failed ball joints. I was outside of warranty by years, but Ford did help with some of the cost for the repair. I was expecting to be part of this recall, but surprised that I am not. Either way, they have suspension issues with many of the early builds.

I thought the front ball joint / control arm assembly has remained the same since the original “$19,999” Maverick days. Could be wrong

Anyway, as the years go by the suspension gets more & more stressed. I imagine the 2028 refresh will get new a front ball joint assembly…

 

[Reece @ DI]

I thought the front ball joint / control arm assembly has remained the same since the original “$19,999” Maverick days. Could be wrong

Anyway, as the years go by the suspension gets more & more stressed. I imagine the 2028 refresh will get new a front ball joint assembly…

Yikes ... Ford did tell me they were "wear parts" so it is "normal" to fail around that mileage, which caused a nice argument with the poor customer service rep. Never had to replace struts or control arms in any of my vehicles, so it is disappointing. I did know I would be in for some issues with the first model year though.

 

[babytruk]

I hope the engineer that decided that measuring the torque on a bolt holding a part that might be incorrectly installed was a good test is the one getting questioned, not Bob.

Bob… aka Robert… aka Rob… aka ROBOT! AHA!!!

 

[Nuvolari]

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