Ford Back Over Prevention: Software

Ford is recalling about 254,640 vehicles over a problem with the back over prevention. Loss of the rearview camera image and certain driver assistance features, can reduce the driver’s ability to detect hazards, increasing the risk of a crash.

Campaign
26V165000
Manufacturer
Ford Motor Company
Reported
18 March 2026
Vehicles
254,640
Built between
Apr 2021 – Nov 2025
Models
4
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
13 April 2026
Repaired
37%
Unrepaired
158,642

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between April 2021 and November 2025. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2025 Ford ExplorerBuilt November 2023 to July 2025
  • 2025 Lincoln AviatorBuilt November 2023 to May 2025
  • 2024-2025 Lincoln NautilusBuilt September 2022 to August 2025
  • 2022-2025 Lincoln NavigatorBuilt April 2021 to November 2025

Repair progress

158,642 of 254,640 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q2 2026.

37% repaired — 93,387 of 254,640 reported

Owners not reachable
2,609
Scrapped or exported
2

Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.

What the defect is

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2025 Lincoln Navigator, 2024-2025 Lincoln Nautilus, 2025 Lincoln Aviator and Explorer vehicles. The Image Processing Module A (IPMA) may experience multiple unexpected resets, resulting in loss of the rearview camera image and advanced driver assistance (ADAS) features, including pre-collision assist, lane-keeping assist, and blind-spot monitoring.

What could happen

Loss of the rearview camera image and certain driver assistance features, can reduce the driver’s ability to detect hazards, increasing the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

The Image Processing Module A software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. This is a Phased campaign. Phase 1 will include 2025 Aviator, 2025 Explorer, 2025 Nautilus notified owners on 4/13/2026. Phase 2 will include 2025 Navigator will notify owners on or about 4/20/2026. Phase 3 will include 2022-2024 Navigator will notify owners on or about 6/8/2026. Phase 4 will include 2024 Nautilus will notify owners on or about 6/22/2026. Owner notification letters were mailed April 13, 2026.

Parts involved

  • IPMA SoftwareRC5T-14H102-ABNImage Processing Module A (IPMA) Software
  • IPMA SoftwareRJ6T-14H102-BAHImage Processing Module A (IPMA) Software
  • IPMA SoftwareSJ8T-14H102-ABRImage Processing Module A (IPMA) Software

Part numbers are as filed by the manufacturer and are listed for reference. Your dealer will confirm the correct part for your vehicle.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtApril 2021 to November 2025
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA18 March 2026
  3. Owners notified13 April 2026
  4. Latest repair reportQ2 2026 — 37% repaired

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 18 March 2026.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Manufacturer contact

Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S21. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning March 25, 2026.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
26S21
Recalling manufacturer
Ford Motor Company
Recall initiated by
ODI

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand