Recall · 26V205000
Ford Motor recalled 2 models over engine and engine cooling
278
Vehicles covered
2
Models
2
Model years
March 31, 2026
Filed with NHTSA
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL
- The defect
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer and Mustang vehicles. The engine piston circlips may have been incorrectly installed during manufacturing, which can result in piston failure and engine damage, leading to a loss of drive power.
- What it can cause
- An unexpected loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
- What the dealer does
- Dealers will inspect the engine for missing or mis-installed circlips and replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 10, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S23. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on April 2, 2026.
The repair is free, whatever the age or mileage of the vehicle, and whether or not you are the original owner.
Which vehicles
A recall reaches a range of VINs inside these model years, not every car built in them. Yours may not be covered even if it is listed here, and the only way to find out is NHTSA's own VIN lookup .
How this campaign compares
At 278 vehicles this is a small campaign: 56% of the 19,818 vehicle recalls filed since 1995 whose size NHTSA published are as large or larger. The middle campaign on file covers 472. It covers one model year, 2026, and the defect was reported to NHTSA in 2026, at or before the oldest model year it covers — as current as a recall gets.
Ford vehicles have been recalled over the engine and engine cooling 35 times before this, most recently in March 2026 as 26V122000. That is not evidence the earlier repair failed.
This site holds the complaint record for all 2 model years the campaign names. Their owners have filed 34 complaints with NHTSA.
The vehicles on this campaign carry 15 other recalls published here, the newest being: 26V581000 (air bags), 26V548000 (engine and engine cooling), 26V547000 (electrical system), 26V532000 (engine and engine cooling).
Check your own car
A VIN check is the only answer for a specific vehicle, and it also shows every other open recall on it, which is usually the reason it is worth doing rather than reading one campaign.
Filed by Ford Motor Company with NHTSA on March 31, 2026 as campaign 26V205000. Every word of the defect, consequence and remedy above is NHTSA's published record of that filing, not a summary of it.
Compiled and maintained by guarledes . Data last checked 2026-03-31.
Independent developer and analyst