The Maverick is one of Ford’s best-selling vehicles – and for good reason. As we noted in our first drive of the 2025 Ford Maverick, it offers impressive value, including in its hybrid variants. However, it’s also proven to be prone to product recalls. As an example of how badly this vehicle is affected by recalls, let’s look at the model’s recall history in 2022. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Ford Maverick was subjected to 23 recalls that year. These weren’t trivial recalls either, with recall reasons ranging from potential engine fires to a loss of drive power and from tail light failures to unintended brake light illumination.
Advertisement
Last year wasn’t any better for the company either. In 2024, Ford issued 63 recalls across all its models. Among these recalls were 53,000 Mavericks manufactured between February 2021 and October 2022, which were recalled for a low-battery detection problem. Essentially, this issue could lead to a loss of power, sudden stalls, or a failure to start. If this were the vehicle’s only recall, then it wouldn’t be so bad — it happens. But, as it turns out, the Ford Maverick has a checkered past when it comes to recalls.
Major Ford Maverick recalls
One of the most recent recalls involves selected 2022 to 2024 Mavericks, where a software issue in the Body Control Module (BCM) can prevent the driver from being notified when a rear turn signal has failed — unless both signals are out. This could lead to unintentionally driving without proper signaling, which can increase the risk of an accident. Ford’s fix involves updating the BCM software at a dealership; the fix is free, as is to be expected. This isn’t the only lighting problem the truck suffered from, either. In 2022, Ford recalled 11,000 Mavericks with an anti-lock braking fault that caused the brake lights to activate without the driver touching the pedal. Just to confound the matter, the original repairs were faulty and Ford is recalling the affected vehicles again.
Advertisement
Sticking to the lights — and this one takes a bit of beating — Ford has recalled 242,669 Mavericks because the tail lights don’t work. The model years affected are 2022 to 2024, with the fault being that the BCM doesn’t supply enough current to light the bulbs in the unit. You’d think somebody would have noticed that. Taken individually, these issues are concerning. But when viewed collectively — and stacked against the Maverick’s overall recall history — it must be a concern to Maverick owners, especially since the history of the current Ford Maverick only stretches back to 2021. But, unfortunately, there’s more, and it doesn’t make for easy reading.
Ford Maverick recalls: No smoke without fire
There’s another issue with the 2022 Ford Maverick that has the potential to be incredibly dangerous. According to Ford, owners of these vehicles (along with 2020 to 2022 model Ford Escapes and Lincoln Corsairs) face an increased risk of fires, smoke, and melted components in the engine bay. This has been attributed to manufacturing issues with the 2.5-liter HEV/PHEV engine, which can result in engine block or oil pan breaches due to issues with the Under Engine Shield (UES) and Active Grille Shutter (AGS). These allow fuel vapor to gather around potential ignition sources, including the exhaust system.
Advertisement
The fix involves adding extra drain holes to the UES and ensuring that the AGS controls the airflow properly. Ford says such engine failures will be accompanied by loud noises. If you’re unfortunate enough to have this happen, then the advice is to park quickly and safely and stop the engine. Ford also recommends doing the same if the vehicle has a sudden loss of power or smoke comes from the engine compartment.
According to Ford, the total number of affected vehicles is 100,689, and all the Mavericks affected were manufactured between February 3, 2021, and, June 8, 2022. However, it’s also worth noting that the NHTSA claims that there are potentially 125,322 affected units and that the affected model dates run from 2021 to 2023. Either way, these are big numbers. If your vehicle is affected, here’s what you need to do when your car gets recalled.
Advertisement
