In less than three months since the start of 2026, Ford has amassed a staggering number of recalls — a total of 19, one of which amounts for over four million cars and trucks recalled. Ford frequently joins the list of brands with the most recalls to their name.
Some of these recalls were quite small, and only one came with a “Do Not Drive” warning by the NHTSA. Still, this one extremely serious recall applied to almost 16,000 vehicles. In total, the 19 recalls affected well over seven million vehicles (at time of writing, the precise number is 7,399,060). We’re not even 25% of the way through the year, and Ford’s already well on its way to beat its 2025 record of nearly 13 million recalled vehicles.
Those numbers sure look like Ford’s quality control isn’t quite what it used to be, and while there might be some truth to it, these numbers can look scarier than they really are. Many of these recalls, including the one that affected over 4.3 million vehicles, were fixed by a software update, which was often delivered over-the-air. Ford did not manually collect over seven million vehicles from owners to perform expensive repairs on them.
We should also point out that, just because the year started out really poorly for Ford, it doesn’t mean it will continue so. The 4.3 million vehicle recall was many times larger than any recall from 2025, and it’ll likely be the largest of the year. In other words, the first quarter of 2026 was almost certainly an outlier.
Ford’s biggest recalls of 2026
The 4,381,878-vehicle recall of this February is the largest recall so far. Apparently, a number of Ford vehicles — including many members of newer generations of the F-Series family of pickup trucks, many USV models, and even some E-Transit trucks — had issues maintaining communication with towing trailers. According to the NHTSA, there was a risk that brake and turn signal lights could malfunction. The brakes could have been made nonfunctional, too.
Four other recalls broke or came close to half a million affected units. Two touched over 800,000 cars each, and both were about potential issues with the rear camera view. Only one seems to have already been addressed, with software updates. For the other, the NHTSA says “the remedy is currently under development.”
The other two big recalls of 2026 are a bit smaller, with one affecting the windshield wipers of about 600,000 Ford vehicles made between 2020 and 2022. The affected windshields require inspection and, if necessary, replacement, all free of charge. The other recalled over 400,000 Ford Explorers because, as the NHTSA summary reads, “the rear suspension toe links may fracture.” The rear suspension toe required replacement for every affected unit, also for free.
If you are curious as to whether your vehicle falls under any of these recalls, you can check Ford’s official recalls page. Enter your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and it will list any recalls that apply.
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