Ford's Halloween surprise isn't candy, but rather three new recalls affecting over 114,000 vehicles

By Jordan Grim • November 01, 2025 • 06:11 AM (PDT)

Faulty transmissions, improper repairs, and trim that falls off. Just another day at the Blue Oval.

Ford has issued three new recalls affecting 114,262 vehicles.
Nearly 65,000 Flex crossovers have trim that can fall off.
There are also faulty transmissions and some recall redux.

Ford is getting into the Halloween spirit and scaring (or perhaps injuring) owners with three new recalls. This brings their total to 134, 113 more than General Motors, which is in second place. In reality, Ford has announced more recalls this year than GM, Volkswagen, BMW, Honda, Mercedes, and Hyundai put together.

That’s quite an achievement, and we’ll start with the faulty replacements. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that 34,481 remanufactured ten-speed automatic transmissions may not be able to keep the vehicle in park.

These were used as repair parts in some 2017-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles. The problem stems from a bearing that may not have been installed, increasing the risk of the vehicle rolling away.

The safety recall report states that the faulty gearbox may have been installed in several vehicles, including the F-150, Expedition, Navigator, Ranger, Explorer, Transit, and Mustang.

Ford became aware of the problem this summer when a complaint was received that a Mustang “was not staying in park.” An investigation revealed a missing T10 bearing in the transmission, and another case surfaced shortly after.

Ford is aware of eight warranty claims related to this issue but no accidents. Under the recall, dealers will inspect the transmissions of vehicles with 8,000 miles (12,875 km) or less and replace the gearbox if necessary.

This isn’t exactly what you’d call putting quality first, but the automaker defended this half-hearted measure by stating that two independent statistical analyses concluded that “potential issues would manifest within 8,000 miles (12,875 km) if the T10 bearing is missing.” Given all this, and Ford’s poor recall track record, you might want to use your parking brake.

This Isn’t The Kind Of Flexing You Want

Moving on, a second recall involves 64,938 Flex vehicles from the 2017-2019 model years. The B-pillar door trim on the driver and front passenger sides can detach while driving, potentially creating a hazard for other motorists.

Several issues are being blamed for this problem, including a design change that “increased the external reaction force on the part,” as well as factory workers failing to properly use hand rollers to promote adhesion.

This recall, in part, stemmed from a separate campaign involving trim on the Explorer that could fall off. At the time, Ford already had a technical service bulletin for Flex vehicles with the same problem.

This paints a bad picture for the company, especially since there have been 1,601 warranty claims, 20 field reports, 8 consumer complaints, 8 customer surveys, 1 legal claim, and 13 VOQs tied to the front B-pillar trim coming loose.

As part of the recall process, dealers will check the B-pillar trim and fix or replace it if necessary.

Lights Out

Ultimately, Ford is recalling 14,843 F-150 Lightning trucks from the 2022 and 2023 model years. This is a recall redux, as these vehicles were previously recalled in 2023 because their rear light bar’s reversing lamp lenses could develop microcracks. This could allow moisture to enter, potentially causing the lights to flicker or fail completely.

This isn’t good, and during the original fix, dealership technicians may not have replaced the original metal fasteners with the required plastic pushpins. Those metal fasteners “can put stress on the light bar lens and create microcracks,” potentially causing the same problem that led to the initial recall.

The automaker is aware of several complaints involving 47 different vehicles. To address this issue, technicians will inspect the rear light bar and replace it as needed, hopefully using the correct fasteners this time.

Owners will be notified in November, although the fix isn’t expected to be available until March 2026.

Ford's Halloween surprise isn't candy, but rather three new recalls affecting over 114,000 vehicles

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