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

[Chops]

Thanks for your service OP.

Mine came on the flu list, need to contact my dealer service center to put mine on the list for future fix. No trailer use, on my side the heaviest thing I do is carring my bicicle, but a recall is a recall and you never know when you might need to use that capacity for that, or even selling it.

Are you referring to recall 26C10 (trailer reprogram) or to the “dreaded” recall 26S36 (do not drive - we will tow you)?

Also, what model do you drive? So far the 3 forum members getting the 26S36 recall are Tremor owners (Cancunbadlands, HRG, and Bunchahoopla). If you drive a Tremor - seems a pattern is emerging for the VIN target list

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[26mavxlt]

Mine not on list, I looked and mine is fully inserted

 

[The Cyber Orange Guy.]

Ford App shows 2 recalls for me
2024 Maverick Lariat Tremor 2.0l ecoboost
Campaign 26S36
and 26C10

Mine got the 26C10 as well.

 

[The Cyber Orange Guy.]

Are you referring to recall 26C10 (trailer reprogram) or to the “dreaded” recall 26S36 (do not drive - we will tow you)?

Also, what model do you drive? So far the 3 forum members getting the 26S36 recall are Tremor owners (Cancunbadlands, HRG, and Bunchahoopla). If you drive a Tremor - seems a pattern is emerging for the VIN target list

26C10.

2022 EB XLT

 

[MavStangVa]

Good ole Ford quality...

Thanks for your helpful reply. Always good when someone contributes good information Jimmy.

 

[Chops]

26C10.

2022 EB

Ahh - the 26C10. We all have that one

But 26S36 is the is the “do not drive” recall revealed in the OP.

BTW, got on my back to inspect my ball joint / control arm just now. Felt a protrusion not an indentation yay. I’ve always preferred outies over innies.

25 Lobo…

 

[Nw_adventure]

Ahh - the 26C10. We all have that one

But 26S36 is the is the “do not drive” recall revealed in the OP.

BTW, got on my back to inspect my ball joint / control arm just now. Felt a protrusion not an indentation yay. I’ve always preferred outies over innies.

25 Lobo…

Nice undercarriage -)

 

[El Kabong]

@Chops first image shows why you would NOT want to jack under the ball joint.

See the silver thingie? It is a thin sheet metal cup and is not intended to be load-bearing. If you jack against it you can crush it against the ball in the joint, causing premature wear/latent failure!

Placing a correctly sized cup from a ball joint press over it would protect it, and I imagine that replacing the control arm might entail tapping on the control arm itself (not the ball joint!) with a dead blow hammer to seat the thing if you were DIY'ing that without the ball joint press tool, though it looks like the pinch assembly is intended to be slip fit.

I just want everyone to be safe out there, this is a simple but critical component.

 

[Cancunbadlands]

Are you referring to recall 26C10 (trailer reprogram) or to the “dreaded” recall 26S36 (do not drive - we will tow you)?

Also, what model do you drive? So far the 3 forum members getting the 26S36 recall are Tremor owners (Cancunbadlands, HRG, and Bunchahoopla). If you drive a Tremor - seems a pattern is emerging for the VIN target list

That's correct 2024MY Lariat Tremor 2.0l ecoboost and the 26S36 recall
Appointment scheduled June 27th

 

[Chops]

Good advice!

BTW, the ball joint / control arm assembly is manufactured at the Hermosillo Stamping Plant - before being delivered to the Main Assembly Line as one piece.

I’m guessing (hoping) Ford would replace the whole assembly under the recall instead of trying to press the ball joint into place.

Again, thanks for that tech tip for the DIY folks!

 

[El Kabong]

BTW, the ball joint / control arm assembly is manufactured at the Hermosillo Stamping Plant - before being delivered to the Main Assembly Line as one piece.

I’m guessing (hoping) Ford would replace the whole assembly under the recall instead of trying to press the ball joint into place.

I think the issue is not with the control arm/ball joint assembly, it's that the assembly is not correctly installed at the pinch joint in the hub/spindle. @Darnon posted this: https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/f...ps-immediately-june-1-2026.83139/post-1375365

 

[Chops]

I think the issue is not with the control arm/ball joint assembly, it's that the assembly is not correctly installed at the pinch joint in the hub/spindle. @Darnon posted this: https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/f...ps-immediately-june-1-2026.83139/post-1375365

Good point. Ford should replace the hub/spindle in addition to the ball joint / control arm assembly - as all could be damaged by improper fitment?

Or they may just loosen the pinch joint and press the ball joint / control arm up into place? That seems like “quick fix” repair job.

Edit - The Hermosillo Stamping Plant did good work. The problem occurred when their assembly was connected to the hub spindle incorrectly. So maybe it was Bob on the assembly line after all

 

[El Kabong]

Good point. Ford should replace the hub/spindle in addition to the ball joint / control arm assembly - as all could be damaged by improper fitment?

Or they may just loosen the pinch joint and press the ball joint / control arm up into place? That seems like “quick fix” repair job.

I would think that no damage should result from the ball stud not being all the way in but anything is possible which is why a tech will have a look.

If I was going to do the repair I would loosen the pinch, drop the control arm, clean the mating surfaces, pop the ball stud back into the pinch (to the correct depth!), torque the fastener to spec, and maybe check/correct the alignment, though I doubt this kind of fix would take it out of spec (which if I recall was pretty generously sloppy).

 

[docorvis]

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.

I

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.

I am a Ford service advisor that drives a Maverick. There is no recall number out and no information to us as of yet. This just on the news. I drive my Maverick 80 mile round trip daily so more to follow as I get it. As of now I am driving mine and would let my one and only child drive it

 

[El Kabong]

I am a Ford service advisor that drives a Maverick. There is no recall number out and no information to us as of yet. This just on the news. I drive my Maverick 80 mile round trip daily so more to follow as I get it. As of now I am driving mine and would let my one and only child drive it

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