Ford is calling back about 288,314 Explorer SUVs after federal safety filings flagged a very specific and very annoying problem: the plastic covers that sit on the SUV’s roof rails can work loose and, in some cases, break free while the vehicle is moving. The recall covers model-year 2016 through 2019 Explorers and spans multiple painted and plated roof-rail cover finishes.
Dealers will inspect the roof-rail assemblies and, if needed, repair or replace push pins, rail clips, or the entire cover at no cost to owners. Ford says owners will be notified by mail and can also run their vehicle identification number (VIN) to see if their Explorer is included.
What the recall covers
The campaign is on file with federal regulators as NHTSA campaign 26V448 and is known inside Ford as recall 26S54. It covers 288,314 Explorers built for the 2016–2019 model years. Regulators warn that if a roof-rail cover detaches at speed, it can become a road hazard for vehicles behind, though Ford told investigators it is aware of only one crash possibly tied to a detached cover.
VIN lookup for affected Explorers became available in mid-July, and Ford plans to mail interim warning letters to owners in late August, followed by a second notice once replacement parts are ready. As listed in federal recall trackers such as OEMDTC, dealers will perform the work free of charge.
What owners should do
Drivers should watch and listen for clues that the trim is starting to go rogue. Red flags include extra wind noise, squeaks from up top, or a visible gap where the roof-rail cover meets the roofline. Any of those can mean the cover is loosening.
Owners are advised to plug their 17-digit VIN into NHTSA.gov/recalls and then contact a Ford or Lincoln dealer to confirm coverage and set up a service appointment. Ford’s recall hotline for this campaign is 1-866-436-7332.
Interim owner letters are scheduled to start going out on Aug. 24, 2026, with final remedy notices to follow once parts are available in September, a timeline summarized by BizzyCar.
How dealers will fix it
The actual repair depends on the vehicle’s trim level and any prior work that was done. Dealers will either add mechanical push-pin fasteners or replace damaged rail clips and roof-rail covers outright.
Ford shifted to a mechanical multi-pin setup after earlier epoxy-based repairs proved inconsistent across the fleet. Those same mechanical steps are being used again as part of this new campaign. For background on the original fix and detailed service procedures, see the earlier NHTSA/Ford recall notice (2021).
Why Ford is expanding the recall
Federal investigators logged fresh owner complaints this spring, including reports of covers loosening or flying off even after previous repair work. That pushed NHTSA to ask Ford for a broader response.
Ford’s internal review found that plated covers and some epoxy-repaired covers can lose their grip after repeated heat cycles and real-world use. As a result, the automaker signed off on widening the campaign in July, with Cars.com detailing the owner questionnaires and timeline that led to the expansion.
If you own one of the affected Explorers, your next move is simple: run your VIN at NHTSA.gov/recalls or call Ford at 1-866-436-7332 to confirm coverage and schedule a no-cost repair with a dealer. The earliest public warning about the issue surfaced in coverage from Boston 25 News.
