Two recalls in one week: why Ford owners should not ignore the latest NHTSA letters

© A. Krivonosov

Ford has just been hit with two fresh NHTSA recall campaigns, and neither of them is cosmetic — both touch basic safety. One is about the risk of a 2024 Explorer rolling away on its own. The other is about an instrument cluster that may not display vehicle speed or warnings at startup.

The first recall is small in numbers but unpleasant in nature. It covers 58 Ford Explorer SUVs from the 2024 model year fitted with the 2.3-liter engine and the 10-speed 10R60 automatic. A connected data request with an oversized data packet could trigger a PCM reset while driving. That reset can engage Park mode on the move and damage the parking mechanism.

If the damage occurs, the vehicle may then fail to shift into Park. In the worst case, that means a rollaway risk once you stop. Sometimes the driver will see a wrench warning on the cluster and the electronic parking brake will kick in, but if the mechanism is only partially damaged, there may be no warning at all. Ford is aware of 27 warranty claims tied to this defect and has logged no crashes or injuries. Owners are promised a free dealer inspection and repair, with notification letters scheduled for June 15–19.

The second recall is bigger: 4,151 vehicles from the 2019 model year. The list includes the Ford Mustang, Lincoln Navigator and Lincoln MKX/Nautilus. The problem traces back to the old 19V076 campaign: some vehicles were marked as repaired, but the correct instrument cluster software may not have been properly installed or confirmed in the database.

The symptom is simple: at startup, the instrument cluster may stay blank. The driver then cannot see speed, gear indicators, telltale lights or safety system warnings. For NHTSA that is a violation of standard FMVSS 101, and for the owner it is a car that technically starts but gives no basic information before driving off.

The fix here is purely software: dealers must update the Instrument Panel Cluster firmware and confirm the version number before closing the campaign. Owner notifications are scheduled for July 6–10, and VINs should become searchable on July 6.

For anyone buying a used Ford from the U.S., these recalls matter indirectly. Explorer, Mustang and the bigger Lincolns keep landing on secondary markets, and the American service history is not always checked in depth. With Ford, knowing the mileage and the number of owners is no longer enough — open NHTSA campaigns now have to be part of the pre-purchase diagnostic.

Sometimes the most expensive defect is not the one that has already broken the car, but the one the new owner never thought to ask about.