Camera Defects Cause Half-Million Car Recall From Ford, Lincoln

• Ford has recalled 422,000 cars for a camera failure.
• Owners may see a blue image, or fully black or blue screen, when using their 360-degree cameras.
• Ford said it began notifying affected owners in late June.

The NHTSA filings describe the safety risk as follows: “loss of rear camera image while in reverse increases the risk of a crash.” A more technical explanation beyond “it's broken” was also provided. A loss of video frames in the image processing module B occurs during reinitialization or when the cameras enter sleep mode during the reinitialization process. As a result, these models are susceptible to a blue image or a full blue or black screen.

Meanwhile, the parts for the nearly half a million cars have been removed from production. Ford has already started to notify its owners about the recall, but more curious customers can go straight to the NHTSA's website, enter their VIN (vehicle identification number) and check to see if their Ford or Lincoln is affected.

Edmunds says

While the sheer scale of this recall sounds daunting, the fix will likely be an over-the-air update or a dealer-installed one. Camera failures sound like they are the result of a software issue, so owners may be in for a quick fix on this one.