A software issue may prevent some Ford vehicles from fully engaging Park, triggering a large recall
December 19, 2025 at 16:23
- Ford is recalling 272,645 vehicles for a potential park defect.
- Issue affects F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, Maverick Hybrid.
- Fault traced to tight tolerances in the integrated park module.
Ford has already surpassed its previous recall record this year, steadily approaching 150 campaigns that span millions of vehicles. Now, it’s adding two more to the list, covering more than 280,000 cars, trucks, and SUVs. In the vast majority of cases, a simple software fix will correct the issue. On the flip side, about 7,000 owners will need to make a trip to the dealer.
Read: After 46 Fires, Ford Issues Urgent Recall And Stop Sale Order
First, let’s focus on 272,645 cars, including the Mustang Mach-E, the Maverick, and the F-150 Lightning. Those included in the recall have an integrated park module (IPM) that could fail to properly engage the parking pawl when the driver selects park. Obviously, that creates a huge (both figuratively and literally) roll-away risk.
Where the Parking Problem Starts
Ford traced the issue to the binding between the IPM pawl and slider, caused by friction variations related to manufacturing processes and material tolerances. Tight tolerances seem to be a major issue for plenty of companies lately.
While the problem may be intermittent, affected drivers could see warning signs such as no illuminated “P” indicator, a wrench warning light, and a shift system fault message in the instrument cluster.
The affected population includes 104,113 F-150 Lightning pickups, 88,064 Mustang Mach-E crossovers, and 80,468 Maverick Hybrids. Ford estimates that roughly 1 percent of the recalled vehicles may actually experience the defect, and the company says it is not aware of any accidents or injuries linked to the issue so far.
The fix will come in the form of a free software update, delivered either over the air or installed by a dealer. The update targets the vehicle’s Secondary On-Board Diagnostic Module C, allowing the system to automatically unbind the park mechanism if the condition occurs.
What’s Failing in the Super Duty?
Oh, and don’t let us forget the second new recall from Ford affecting almost 7,000 trucks. Specifically, 6,819 Super Duty pickups from model year 2026 could have axle shafts that snap under load.
All affected vehicles have a single rear wheel axle measuring 10.5 inches. Ford will replace these axles once they come in for the recall remedy.
