If you’re driving a Ford made in the last few years, it’s time to check your dashboard. Ford just announced a massive recall affecting nearly 1.1 million vehicles in the U.S., all because of a glitchy rearview camera system.
The software issue could cause your rearview camera to freeze, delay, or not show up at all, obviously a huge safety risk when you’re backing up.
This recall includes models like the F-150, Bronco, Edge, Escape, Corsair, Expedition, Transit, Mustang, Ranger, Navigator, and even the Mach-E. The affected vehicles span from model years 2021 through 2025, depending on the model.
Here’s what went wrong: back in January, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) started looking into complaints, over 30 of them, about the camera systems not working right, particularly in F-150s. By April, Ford’s engineers confirmed that certain software versions in the infotainment system were causing the failures. That system controls not just the camera but other dashboard functions like maps and apps.
The issue isn’t just theoretical, Ford says it’s aware of at least one minor crash caused by the glitch. While it didn’t result in injuries, the property damage was enough to raise red flags.
So, what happens now?
If your car is on the list, Ford will be sending out two letters. The first, going out by June 16, will let you know there’s a safety risk. The second one will give you the fix timeline. Dealers will roll out a free software update, either over-the-air or in-person, depending on your model and setup.
This isn’t Ford’s first brush with rearview camera trouble. Just last month, they recalled another 289,000 vehicles for related issues, and in November 2024, they were hit with a $165 million fine for not recalling faulty cameras quickly enough in past cases. The rearview camera problem has been dogging Ford since at least 2020, when a smaller recall of 620,000 vehicles first surfaced.
If you own one of the affected vehicles, keep an eye on your mail, or check Ford’s recall page with your VIN number. This software glitch may sound minor, but a frozen or missing rearview feed can easily lead to an accident, and Ford’s now moving fast to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
