Rahul Somvanshi
Ford Motor Company has issued a massive recall affecting 1,075,299 vehicles across the United States. The problem involves rearview cameras that can freeze, delay, or go completely black when drivers shift into reverse. This safety defect significantly increases the risk of backing into objects, vehicles, or people.
The recall covers popular Ford and Lincoln models from 2021 to 2025, making it one of the largest automotive safety recalls in recent years. The Ford F-150 pickup truck represents the biggest chunk of affected vehicles with 527,371 units involved.
What’s Actually Broken
The issue stems from a software bug in the Accessory Protocol Interface Module, which acts as the brain for the vehicle’s infotainment system. When this software fails, drivers backing up might see their camera screen freeze on an old image, display nothing at all, or show a delayed picture that doesn’t match what’s actually behind them.
This frozen or blank screen could mean the difference between safely backing out of a parking space and hitting someone walking behind your car.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration put it bluntly: “A frozen rear-view camera display image while in reverse can create a false representation of where the vehicle is relative to its surroundings, increasing the risk of a crash.”
Which Vehicles Are Affected
The recall spans across Ford’s most popular models and includes:
Ford F-150 pickups lead the pack with over 527,000 vehicles affected, followed by 157,506 Edge SUVs and 136,968 Transit vans. The recall also covers Bronco SUVs, Mustang sports cars, Escape compact SUVs, and several heavy-duty F-series trucks from the F-250 through F-600.
Lincoln vehicles in the recall include the Nautilus, Navigator, and Corsair models. The affected model years range from 2021 through 2025, depending on the specific vehicle.
How Ford Found Out
The problem came to light when NHTSA contacted Ford in January 2025 about complaints from F-150 owners. The agency had received 37 owner questionnaires, with 15 drivers specifically reporting that their rearview camera images froze while backing up.
Ford’s engineering team spent months investigating and was able to reproduce the problem in April 2025. They traced the issue to specific software variants within the infotainment system.
The company has reported one minor crash resulting in property damage that may be linked to this defect, though no injuries have been directly connected to the camera failures.
The Fix and Timeline
Ford plans to resolve the issue through a software update that will be provided free of charge. For newer vehicles equipped with over-the-air update capability, the fix can be downloaded and installed automatically, similar to updating an app on your phone.
Vehicles without this capability will need to visit a Ford or Lincoln dealership for the software update. The repair involves updating the software in the Accessory Protocol Interface Module.
Ford will begin mailing notification letters to affected vehicle owners on June 16, 2025. A second letter will follow once the software fix becomes available, which NHTSA expects to happen between July and September 2025.
Vehicle owners can contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 and reference recall number 25S49. They can also reach NHTSA’s vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 or visit nhtsa.gov.
Ford’s Pattern of Problems
This recall represents the latest in a series of quality control issues for Ford. The automaker led all manufacturers in 2024 with 67 recalls affecting nearly 4.8 million vehicles.
Recent Ford recalls include 274,000 Lincoln Navigator and Ford Expedition vehicles for brake line problems in May 2025, and about 289,000 Broncos and pickup trucks for different backup camera issues in April 2025.
The company’s recall problems have drawn serious attention from federal regulators. In November 2024, NHTSA fined Ford $165 million for failing to recall vehicles with defective rearview cameras in a timely manner and for not providing complete information during safety investigations. This penalty ranks as the second-largest civil penalty in NHTSA’s history.
The consent order resulting from that fine requires Ford to invest in better safety data analytics, improved information sharing systems, and enhanced component tracking capabilities.
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Why This Matters
Rearview cameras became mandatory on all new vehicles under 10,000 pounds starting in May 2018. This requirement came from the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007, which aimed to prevent backover accidents that particularly affect children and elderly adults.
The cameras were specifically designed to prevent these tragic accidents by giving drivers a clear view of what’s behind their vehicle. When the system fails, it removes this critical safety feature at the exact moment drivers need it most.
For the more than one million Ford and Lincoln owners affected by this recall, the immediate concern involves taking extra precautions while backing up. This means checking mirrors more carefully, physically turning around to look behind the vehicle, and asking someone to spot for them when possible.
The recall also raises broader questions about the increasing complexity of vehicle software systems. Modern cars can contain over 100 million lines of code, creating new challenges for automakers in testing and quality control.
What Owners Should Do Now
Ford and Lincoln owners can check if their vehicle is included in the recall by visiting nhtsa.gov/recalls or owner.ford.com/recall and entering their 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number. The VIN can typically be found on the dashboard visible through the windshield or on the driver’s side door frame.
Until the software fix becomes available, affected drivers should exercise extreme caution when backing up. This includes using side mirrors and the rearview mirror more actively, physically turning to check blind spots, and avoiding backing up in crowded areas when possible. If their vehicle supports over-the-air updates, owners should ensure this feature is enabled to receive the fix as soon as it becomes available.
The recall serves as a reminder of how dependent drivers have become on backup camera systems and how critical it is for these safety technologies to work reliably when needed most.
