Recall Date: 6/24/2026
NHTSA ID: 26V402
MFr. Campaign Number: 26S48
Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Affected Components: Transmission valve body separator plate / Powertrain Control Module software
Potential Number of Units Affected: 741,195
This recall covers five model lines across Ford and Lincoln: the 2021 F-150 (82,570 vehicles), the 2020–2021 Lincoln Aviator (40,197 vehicles), the 2020–2021 Explorer (313,147 vehicles), the 2018–2021 Lincoln Navigator (59,079 vehicles), and the 2018–2021 Expedition (246,202 vehicles), for a total of 741,195 vehicles. All affected vehicles were built with park-by-wire functionality paired with a 10R60, 10R80, or 10R80MHT transmission.
The transmission's valve body separator plate can limit flow to the park valve, which can cause the transmission's parking pawl to temporarily engage while the vehicle is still in motion during certain commanded shifts. That temporary engagement can damage park system components over time, which can affect the transmission's ability to hold the vehicle in Park if the parking brake isn't applied.
Ford built in a safeguard: if the transmission range sensor doesn't reach the park position when Park is commanded, the Electronic Parking Brake automatically applies, and a wrench light appears on the instrument panel cluster. The gap Ford identified is that the Powertrain Control Module may not be awake to catch this in every case, particularly after the vehicle has been powered down for a period of time.
Ford has not issued a Do Not Drive or Park Outside advisory for this campaign. Owners will be notified by mail and asked to bring their vehicle in for a PCM software update, along with a transmission inspection and replacement of any damaged park system components. There is no charge for the service.
Dealer notification is expected June 26, 2026. Interim owner letters mail between August 3 and August 7, 2026, with the permanent remedy following in phases through the second quarter of 2027.
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation first flagged this issue to Ford in April 2026, after reviewing eleven Vehicle Owner Questionnaires describing vehicles moving after being shifted to Park, or getting stuck in Park, on 2020 model year Explorer and Aviator vehicles. Ford's Critical Concern Review Group had looked at a similar warranty claim pattern on Explorer back in 2022, but closed that earlier review after concluding the Electronic Parking Brake's roll-away detection would prevent unintended movement in practice.
The 2026 review went further, tracing the root cause to the valve body separator plate design and confirming that the PCM doesn't always stay awake long enough to catch a rollaway after long periods of being parked. By May 2026, Ford had identified 282 combined field reports and 13 VOQs across the affected models, along with 24 property damage allegations and 9 alleged injuries. Ford's Field Review Committee approved the recall on June 16, 2026.
At 741,195 vehicles across five nameplates and up to four model years each, this is one of the largest Ford actions of the month, and it spans two brands with different customer bases and different service expectations.
BizzyCar Recall Outreach cross-references a dealer's Ford and Lincoln customers against the affected VIN population and reaches owners through automated two-way SMS, so a recall this large doesn't turn into a backlog of unanswered mailers sitting on kitchen counters.
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