Ford Recalls Over 24,000 Explorer SUVs for Powertrain Control Issue

Ford Motor Company has issued a safety recall for more than 24,000 of its 2025 Explorer SUVs due to a critical software defect that may cause unexpected vehicle behavior while driving. The affected vehicles, all equipped with 2.3-liter engines and built between December 6, 2023, and September 6, 2024, may experience powertrain control module resets that could lead to dangerous situations on the road.

According to Ford’s recall report submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the flaw lies in the programming of the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) software. If the software encounters an unusually small data value during its onboard diagnostics routine, it may trigger a system reset while the vehicle is in motion. Such resets can cause the park pawl to engage inadvertently or damage transmission components, particularly at speeds exceeding 10 mph. In more severe cases, the vehicle may experience a temporary loss of acceleration or complete loss of motive power after a series of rapid resets.

The safety risk identified by Ford includes the possibility of a “roll-in-park” condition if the electronic parking brake (EPB) fails or is manually disengaged after a system reset. Although the EPB is designed to activate automatically when the vehicle is placed in park, any malfunction in the park system could prevent it from properly holding the vehicle in place, raising the risk of a crash.

To address the issue, Ford will notify owners by mail beginning May 26, 2025, with instructions to visit a dealership for a software update to the PCM. The update will ensure the system can handle the problematic data inputs without triggering a reset. Additionally, dealers will inspect the transmission for any damage related to the defect and make repairs at no cost to the owner. The updated software version, SB5A-14C204-VD, eliminates the erroneous reset condition and has already been applied to vehicles in production going forward.

Article by multiple RFHC contributors, based upon information from the Ford Motor Company and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Safety Recall Report.

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