Ford And Lincoln Vehicles May Not Have Been Repaired Correctly

A new safety concern has been identified affecting certain 2021-2024 Ford Escape, Maverick, and Lincoln Corsair vehicles. According to Ford's records, some of these vehicles did not receive the correct remedy for Safety Recall 24S33 / 24V-330, despite being recorded as having undergone a successful repair. The issue lies in the installation of the software update, which is intended to address a critical safety defect.

The underlying condition specified in Safety Recall 24S33 / 24V-330 relates to the vehicle's Hybrid Powertrain Control Module (HPCM) software. This software can cause the vehicle to enter a forced neutral condition while driving, resulting in a loss of power and control. As the vehicle coasts to a stop, the transmission will automatically shift into "Park" mode. Although the driver will still have access to essential functions such as power braking and power steering, the vehicle will be unable to move.

Once the driver attempts to shift back into drive, the vehicle will enter a limp home mode, which provides limited torque at low speeds of up to 30 mph. This reduced functionality can pose a significant safety risk, particularly in situations where the vehicle needs to accelerate quickly or maintain speed on the highway.

The issue was discovered during an audit of Safety Recall 24S33 / 24V-330, which was completed by a cross-functional team on February 17, 2025. The team reviewed the records and found that approximately 98% of the repairs conducted under this recall had been done correctly, with the correct software installed. However, they also identified a subset of vehicles that were recorded as having received the remedy but actually did not have the correct software update.

Further investigation revealed that the problem lies in the dealer instructions for completing the recall. Technicians are instructed to upload the latest software using the service tool, which is supposed to download the correct software from Ford's servers for installation on the vehicle. However, it appears that this process did not work correctly for some vehicles, resulting in the wrong software being installed.

To address this issue, Ford will be notifying owners of affected vehicles by mail and instructing them to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer for repair. The dealer will update the HPCM software to ensure that the correct remedy is installed, and then validate the software part numbers using the Software Validation Form in the Professional Technician System. This step is crucial to ensuring that the repair is done correctly and that the safety defect is fully addressed. Ford's number for this recall is 25S16 and the NHTSA campaign number is 25V-133.