Ford is calling nearly 1.4 million vehicles in the United States back to the shop after federal safety paperwork flagged a glitch in powertrain control module software that can mess with engine performance and related systems. Regulators put the recall population at about 1,392,935 vehicles, and owners of certain Ford and Lincoln models are being urged to keep an eye on their mail and run their vehicle identification numbers to see if they are on the list.
As first reported by Reuters, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the problem traces back to the powertrain control module software and appears across a broad range of vehicles identified in agency documents.
What Owners Should Do
According to federal recall documents, owners will get letters in the mail telling them if their vehicle is affected and instructing them to visit a Ford or Lincoln dealer for a powertrain control module software update, which will be done at no cost. The safety filing spells out the timeline regulators reviewed, the safety risk, and the official dealer fix so that the correct software lands in each vehicle.
NHTSA has a public filing that walks through the defect and the planned repair steps in more detail.
Why This Matters Now
This latest action joins a growing list of high-profile Ford software and component recalls this year, including a much larger trailer module-related campaign announced earlier. Hoodline covered a wider software wave in February in an earlier story, a glitch puts brakes on Ford towing. Regulators have already turned up the heat: the agency recently hit Ford with heavy enforcement measures after deciding the automaker moved too slowly on earlier camera defects, and federal reporting from AP News notes that the enforcement included a sizable civil penalty and stricter oversight arrangements.
If you suspect your ride might be part of this recall, you can plug your VIN into Ford or use the federal recall lookup tool. Ford customer service and dealers are handling the software update for free, and owners who already paid out of pocket for a related repair may be eligible for reimbursement under the recall reimbursement plan described in the agency filing.
