by Michael Gauthier
- Ford is telling nearly 5,000 customers to stop driving immediately.
- Bronco Sport and Maverick have bad lower control arm ball joints.
- If they fail, drivers could lose steering control and crash.
Ford is telling 4,653 Bronco Sport and Maverick owners to stop driving their vehicles immediately. The truck and SUV might have front lower control arm ball joints that were not assembled correctly. If they fail while the vehicle is being driven, drivers could lose steering control. This significantly increases the risk of a crash.
The recall impacts 2021 to 2026 models and Ford is advising owners to check online to see if their vehicle is included in the campaign. If it is, the vehicle will be towed to a dealership for inspection and repair. Some customers will also have the option of having their vehicle inspected at home via mobile service technicians.
More: Ford Just Gave The 2026 Bronco Sport A Touch Of Mustang Glamour
The recall hasn’t been posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration yet, so details are limited. However, the automaker said “dealers will visually inspect the front lower control arm ball joint assembly on both the left and right sides, and repair, as necessary at no cost to the customer.”
It sounds like the automaker doesn’t have a fix at the moment as they noted repairs will be made at a “future date.” Ford also said “rentals are available at no cost” to owners of vehicles that fail the inspection.
We’ll likely learn more soon, but the Bronco Sport and Maverick are some of Ford’s most popular vehicles. Last year alone, the automaker moved 155,051 of the pickups and 134,493 of the SUVs.
While Ford issued surprisingly few recalls last month, they’re still the undisputed king with 37 campaigns for 2026. That’s more than twice as many as Stellantis, General Motors, Hyundai, and Toyota.