Nearly 4.4 Million Ford Trucks Were Just Recalled: We Own Three Of Them

Trailer brake controller lights may fail to operate, so you should really get it fixed

written by Nick Yekikian
edited by Kathleen Clonts
2/26/2026
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Over 4 million Ford trucks are being recalled for potentially failing trailer brake lights.
The issue, Ford says, can be fixed with an over-the-air update.
The Maverick, F-150 and Expedition are all part of the recall, and we own all three.

Ford has just issued a recall of almost 4.4 million trucks and truck-based cars. According to the report by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, the reason for the recall is the "Integrated Trailer Module (ITRM) may lose communication with the vehicle." If this happens, the brake lights and turn signals found on the the trailers could fail. And in such an instance, drivers behind vehicles that are towing wouldn't get key information and the result could cause an accident.

Every pickup Ford currently makes (the F-150, Maverick and Ranger), the fully electric E-Transit van, the Lincoln Navigator, and some versions the Super Duty (the F-250, specifically) are all affected. In total, the NHTSA says 4,380,609 vehicles are potentially affected. The report also states that the estimated percentage of these cars with the defect is around 1%.

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The NHTSA also lays out what will happen to you if the fault occurs in your car:

Customers will see a Pop-up message on the instrument panel cluster (IPC), indicating a "Trailer brake module fault," and the turn signal telltale will fast flash. Additionally, a "Blind Spot Assist System fault" message may appear on the IPC.

The NHTSA is not issuing a "Do Not Drive" or "Park Outside" order for any of the trucks here. Here is the breakdown of how many units of each truck are covered by the recall, in order from most to fewest.

2021-2026 Ford F-150: 2,297,857
2022-2026 Ford F-250: 1,135,063
2022-2026 Ford Maverick: 412,105
2022-2026 Ford Expedition: 317,604
2024-2026 Ford Ranger: 129,836
2022-2026 Lincoln Navigator: 75,029
2026 Ford E-Transit: 13,115

We currently own an F-150 hybrid, Expedition and Maverick, and frankly we love all three. While we don't tow very often, we will certainly be looking to implement Ford's fix for the issue. The remedy is a simple over-the-air software update. If your Ford truck doesn't have the option to be updated OTA, you can also take it into your local Ford or Lincoln dealership for a fix that will be provided free of charge.

Keen owners who want to know if their truck is affected will be able to search the NHTSA's website here come March 17.

by Nick Yekikian

Nick Yekikian has worked in the automotive industry since 2019. He has written close to a thousand car-related articles and tested and reviewed more than 200 vehicles over the course of his career. Nick is the Senior News Editor at Edmunds and has also contributed to MotorTrend, Automobile Magazine and Super Street. When Nick isn't zipping around town in his latest used-car find, he's probably making digital art in Photoshop or playing disc golf with friends.

edited by Kathleen Clonts

Kathleen Clonts has worked in the automotive industry since 2014 and has copy-edited thousands of vehicle reviews and stories about cars and the auto industry in that time. Kathleen is the Edmunds editorial team's copy chief and previously worked as the senior copy editor for Automobile magazine.

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