Ford’s failing tail lights have prompted a recall of approximately 242,669 model year 2022-2024 Ford Maverick pickup trucks.
An electrical issue (which does not seem to affect headlights, stop lamps or turn signal functions) stems from the Body Control Module falsely detecting a current overload on one or both of the rear position lamp circuits. According to the Ford tail-light recall report, when the BCM rightly or wrongly detects a current overload in these lamp circuits, one or both lamps may be deactivated while driving.
The BCM current threshold was calibrated to the current draw for a single bulb. The problem is that the rear lamps have two position bulbs on a single circuit. As part of the recall remedy, Ford Maverick owners will take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealership and have the BCM calibration updated to the latest level. The updated BCM calibration will set the overcurrent threshold to the level for a circuit containing two bulbs.
Ford Maverick Tail Lamp Timeline
Ford’s internal teams first learned of the Ford Maverick tail lamp issue in February 2024, after which one of its teams logged through Ford Maverick vehicles’ Connected Vehicle data and found a high number of Diagnostic Trouble Codes related to rear tail lamps not working. They noticed that while the position light was affected, the brake and signal lights remained fully functional.
From February to April of 2024, the team investigated what conditions set these Diagnostic Trouble Codes and analyzed vehicle data and warranty claims related to the vehicles’ behavior.
As of April 4, 2024, Ford is aware of 11 warranty claims related to the Ford Maverick tail lights issue. The Connected Vehicle data reveals 4,727 VINs with set DTCs potentially related to the tail light issue, with 1,555 vehicles setting left hand and right hand DTCs on a single trip. By April 19, 2024, Ford approved the recall.
Ford plans to notify its dealers starting May 1, 2023. Ford Maverick tail light notices will be sent to owners starting May 20, 2024. Ford Maverick owners should expect to receive them by May 24, 2024.
Do you want to know more about auto recalls? Find the answers to the top questions about auto recalls and, if you’d still like to know more, consider reading through our Auto Recall Guide.
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