Ford Recalls 4.4 Million Trucks and SUVs Just Weeks After Quality Bonuses
If you own a Ford or Lincoln truck or SUV from the last few years, there’s a decent chance you’re caught up in one of the largest vehicle recalls in recent memory. In February 2026, Ford filed paperwork with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) covering 4,380,609 vehicles over a software flaw that can kill your trailer’s brakes and lights while you’re towing.
Here’s what the recall is about, which Ford models are impacted, and how the latest Ford recall is a sign of a much larger problem for the automaker.
What’s the Problem?
The defect lives inside the Integrated Trailer Module (ITRM), a software-driven component that manages communication between your truck and whatever you’re towing. When the vehicle wakes up from sleep mode — essentially every time you start it — there’s a chance the ITRM loses its connection to the rest of the truck’s computer system.
Ford and NHTSA describe it as a “race condition” bug, meaning the software is sensitive to the timing and sequence of events during startup. Most of the time it works fine. But when it doesn’t, the consequences can be serious: your trailer’s stop lamps go out, its turn signals stop working, and on trucks equipped with the high-series ITRM, the trailer’s electric brakes can fail entirely.
Think about what that means in practice. You’re on the highway pulling a 10,000-pound boat or a loaded work trailer. The driver behind you has no warning you’re slowing down. You apply the brakes, but only your truck is stopping — the trailer isn’t. That’s a crash waiting to happen.
Ford says it’s aware of 405 warranty claims potentially connected to the defect, along with two formal complaints filed directly with the NHTSA. The company has not identified any crashes or injuries tied to the issue.
Your dashboard will usually tip you off before things get dangerous. If you see a “Trailer Brake Module Fault” message pop up on your instrument cluster — possibly accompanied by a fast-flashing turn signal indicator or a “Blind Spot Assist System fault” warning — that’s the ITRM telling you it lost communication. Stop towing if you see either of these messages and get the software update as soon as possible.
Which Vehicles Are Affected?
The recall (NHTSA ID: 26V104000; Ford’s internal number: 26C10) covers the following vehicles:
- Ford F-150 — 2021–2026 model years (~2.3 million vehicles)
- Ford F-250 Super Duty — 2022–2026 model years (~1.13 million vehicles)
- Ford Maverick — 2022–2026 model years (~412,000 vehicles)
- Ford Expedition — 2022–2026 model years
- Ford Ranger — 2024–2026 model years
- Lincoln Navigator — 2022–2026 model years
- Ford E-Transit — 2026 model year (13,115 vehicles)
The F-150 and Super Duty alone account for more than 3.4 million of the 4.38 million affected vehicles. These are America’s most popular trucks, which is part of why this recall is so significant.
Ford estimates that only about 1% of the affected vehicles actually have the defect — roughly 44,000 trucks and SUVs. But with numbers this large, even 1% is a lot of vehicles on the road.