Ford Recalls Over 1.4M Vehicles for Backup Camera Defects

Ford has issued a recall for over 1.4 million vehicles due to backup camera defects, according to WardsAuto.

Included in the recall are the 2015 Ford Explorer; 2015-2016 C-Max, Escape and Taurus; 2015-2019 Flex; 2016 Fusion; 2018-2019 Taurus; 2019 Fiesta and 2020 Mustang, as well as the 2015 Lincoln MKZ and 2015-2019 Lincoln MKT.

NHTSA first informed Ford of the issue in January, after receiving hundreds of vehicle owner questionnaires detailing backup camera issues. The following month, an investigation was opened by Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group. Both camera hardware and software was examined, with parts from existing vehicles as well as cameras collected from salvage yards being investigated.

The analog rearview cameras came from Magna, a Tier 1 supplier based in Michigan. An estimated 1% of cameras are expected to be defective. Ford finished its investigation in September, determining that a defect was not seen “across all vehicle populations equipped with this analog camera,” as shared in a recall report. 

Ford and NHTSA decided to split the number of model year 2015 to 2025 vehicles containing the analog rearview camera into two groups, based on performance data from vehicle owner questionnaires. One group of vehicles would be recalled, with the other to receive a 15-year extended warranty.

Ford received 12,487 warranty claims related to the issue as of Sept. 24, and is aware of five accidents related to the issue, but no injuries. Replacement cameras will be available next year, produced with an updated process. Dealers will inspect and replace cameras as needed. Notices were sent out on Oct. 20, with second letters detailing a remedy to be sent in June.