Ford is recalling 741,195 vehicles because the vehicles could have damage to the transmission parking poles.
according to A new recall report submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Ford Motor Company has a problem with 741,195 vehicles in the US, between model years 2018 and 2021. Although it primarily affects the Explorer and closely-related Aviator, it also affects other vehicles equipped with Ford’s 10-speed automatic transmission, including the 10R80-equipped F-150, Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator.
Ford says there may be an issue in those affected vehicles equipped with park-by-wire functionality, where the parking claw may temporarily engage while in motion, when certain shifts are commanded by the transmission. This won’t necessarily cause any problems while driving, but it can damage park system components.
If those system components are damaged, including the parking pawl, the pawl may fail to engage when actually needed, causing the vehicle to roll if the parking brake is not applied.
Here are the details of the vehicles included in this recall (Ford Recall No. 26S48; NHTSA Recall No. 26V-402):
- 2021 Ford F-150: 82,570 units built between January 8, 2020 and October 8, 2021
- 2018-2021 Ford Expedition: 246,202 units manufactured between March 14, 2017, and July 27, 2021
- 2018-2021 Lincoln Navigator: 59,079 vehicles built between March 16, 2017 and May 24, 2021
- 2020-2021 Ford Explorer: 313,147 units built between October 28, 2018 and November 9, 2021
- 2020-2021 Lincoln Aviator: 40,197 units built between October 25, 2018 and August 25, 2021
What is the solution?
Ford’s internal safety review team studied transmission plant and assembly records to determine the time frame and size of the recall population. Light midsize SUVs can be equipped with either a 10R60 or 10R80MHT transmission, while larger trucks and SUVs use the 10R80.
A warning signal to drivers will be a wrench light in the vehicle’s instrument cluster. When drivers park their vehicle and the transmission range sensor does not reach the park position when the gear selector is placed in Park, the electronic parking brake should automatically apply.
While all vehicles have “roll away detection” that keeps them in place, the affected vehicles actually roll away anyway. To date, Ford says it has identified 282 reports and 13 vehicle owner questionnaires (VOQs) in North America for this condition, primarily on Explorer/Aviator and Expedition/Navigator models. There are also 24 allegations of property damage and 9 injuries (including 2 emotional injuries according to reports) related to the issue.
Ford plans to handle this recall in phases, with repair notifications to be issued around April 5, 2027. Owners should get an interim notification – in other words, there’s a problem but the solution isn’t available yet – in August of this year.
When Ford is willing to do so, dealer technicians will update the PCM software to prevent the transmission commanding shift, which may cause the parking pawl to temporarily engage while the vehicle is in motion. Those technicians will also look at the transmission parka system and replace any damaged components free of charge.
Newer Ford and Lincoln vehicles that use 10-speed automatic transmissions are not included in this recall because Ford uses a new separator plate design. The original valve body separator plate limited flow to the park valve during certain shifts, allowing the pawl to engage when those shifts were ordered.
Ford released An updated technical service bulletin For this issue on May 15, 2023, technicians were instructed to fit an improved valve body separator plate that is visually different from the original design.
Some aftermarket suppliers sell valve body kits to address hydromechanical issues that are notorious for causing transmission problems and failures, while Ford also updated the Heavy Duty 10R140’s valve bodies (found on Super Duty trucks) to address the same fluid flow issue in 2023 (Ford Recall Campaign 23S54).
