Right now, Ford is having a bit of a tough time with some of their models. The popular American car company has been forced to issue two recalls, one featuring the Ford Maverick and another featuring the Ford Explorer, both with different but equally sever issues tallying over 550,000 vehicles. While this sounds scary, this automaker is one of the most popular car companies in America and they are no slouches around the world either, so considering all the units they have sold, this is not as big of a percentage of their fleet as one might think.
The first and most extensive recall is that of the Ford Explorer. This is one of the company’s most popular and most sold models, so it is not surprising that almost half a million of the aforementioned recalled vehicles are of this particular model. The recall is quite serious and it affects Explorers from model years 2016 and 2017. In tis particular production time of the car there was an issue with the B-pillar trim, which is the part that separates the front and back windows.
This trim is meant to stay permanently attached, as it is not just a cosmetic issue, but it seems like after a while it detaches from the structure of the car and can become a problem, especially if it does so while the car is moving as it can turn into dangerous road debris if the piece flies off. Ford owners that have these models will be contacted shortly by their dealership so that they can go in and have the issue fixed for free.
The other Ford recall that is making headlines
Despite being significantly smaller in size, the other Ford recall is significantly more worrisome. Pertaining to the 2025 Ford Mavericks, more than 63,000 of these cars are being recalled because of a potentially faulty airbag indicator light.
While this might not sound like something too crucial, the airbag indicator light is quite an important component, as it tells you if the passenger airbag is on or off and in this model it seems to not be staying in place. That means in a crash, someone could be riding without knowing whether the airbag is active or not and could be quite dangerous if they have to guess. Plus, this seat is usually used by babies when they are being driven around with only one parent, so being certain that the airbag is off is crucial as in case of an accident the airbag can seriously harm them.
The solution is easy, the dealership will install retaining clips to secure the light and that should fix the problem fairly easily, and like all recalls they will do so for free. Owners that need to have this problem fixed will be contacted on June 9 and the case number associated with the recall is 25C17.
For those who have been paying attention, this is not the first time that Ford has had problems with the Maverick. Since it was launched in 20022 it has had numerous recalls, with one of the most significant ones that led to a class action suit being the front-row side curtain airbags, which may not deploy properly.
This problem only affected the first batch of cars produced in 2022 and by 2023 most owners had their fix installed. At the time there was ample controversy regarding this, as the automaker did not issue a stop-driving order, nor did they offer loaner vehicles in the meantime. Instead, they advised Maverick drivers to buckle up and “drive with a little extra caution,” which did not sit well with consumers.