by Brad Anderson
- Ford has issued two new recall campaigns for some of its popular models.
- One of the recalls concerns an HVAC system that can fail unexpectedly.
- Faulty seat sensor may also prevent some passenger airbags from deploying.
Just after a sweeping recall of more than 420,000 vehicles in the US, Ford is again showing that, despite claims it’s made quality improvements, it still has a long way to go. Now, thousands of additional cars are being recalled through two separate campaigns announced on March 31.
The first of these recalls is probably the one that’ll cause the fewest headaches among Ford executives, as it only affects 55 vehicles. According to Ford, certain Lincoln Aviator and Ford Explorer models have HVAC systems that can fail.
Read: Ford Has Already Recalled Nearly Three Times As Many Cars As All Other Brands Combined
Ford says the failure can be triggered by an electrical ground joint on the blower motor that may not have been properly secured during instrument panel assembly. Having a non-functional HVAC system is obviously annoying, but Ford notes it could also increase the risk of a crash if a driver is unable to defrost or defog the windshield.
A total of 5 Lincoln Aviators built between October 20, 2025, and December 18, 2025, from the 2026 model year are involved in the recall, as are 50 Ford Explorer models assembled from October 19, 2025, to January 12, 2026, also sold as 2026 models. Owners will be notified on April 10, and dealers have been instructed to inspect and secure all instrument panel joints.
Bronco And Maverick Join Recall Bonanza
As for the second recall, it impacts a total of 3,170 Ford Bronco Sport and Ford Maverick models. Ford has revealed that these vehicles could experience a broken Occupant Classification Sensor (OCS) bladder port, which can impact the system’s ability to determine if an adult or a child is in the front passenger seat.
Due to this fault, the front passenger airbag will be disabled, posing an obvious safety risk. Owners will be able to recognize if their vehicle has a fault if there is a Passenger Airbag OFF warning on the gauge cluster.
All 2025-2026 Ford Bronco Sport models built from July 29, 2025, to December 3, 2025, are involved, totaling 1,515 vehicles. Additionally, 2025-2026 Mavericks assembled from August 8, 2025, to September 11, 2025, are included. Dealers have been instructed to replace the Occupant Classification Sensor free of charge.
Context:
Ford recalls 3,225 vehicles for HVAC failures and faulty airbag sensors affecting passenger safety.
Context:
These defects highlight Ford's ongoing quality control struggles despite promised improvements.
Context:
Ford has recalled nearly three times more vehicles than all other automakers combined this year.
