Nearly three-quarters of a million Ford and Lincoln drivers could come back to a vehicle that isn’t where they left it. A new recall involving the Expedition, Explorer, F-150, Aviator, and Navigator involves the little piece in your transmission that keeps your vehicle in park. It could get damaged while you drive, which means that your truck or SUV might not stay in park the next time you leave it. Ford will have a fix, but don’t expect it to be ready until next year.
Transmission Problem Could Lead To Parking Issues
2022 Ford Expedition Stealth Edition dashboard and infotainment Ford
The problem, according to Ford’s filings with the NHTSA, is that the transmission might not be making its shifts correctly. This isn’t a problem with putting the truck in park accidentally or shifting between forward and reverse while you’re still moving; it’s deeper than that.
A part in the transmission called the valve body separator plate is the root of the issue. An issue there can limit the flow of transmission fluid to the park valve. If that happens, then when the transmission tries to make certain gear shifts, it will actually engage the park pawl briefly, even though the truck or SUV is moving.
If that happens, the parking pawl – a small metal tooth that locks into a gear in the transmission to stop the vehicle from rolling – can be damaged. A damaged pawl can fail, then the vehicle can roll away.
Ford said that the vehicles involved have roll-away detection, which should engage the parking brake if vehicle movement is detected while the truck is in park. However, after the vehicle has been turned off for long enough, it powers down and won’t detect the movement.
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In its filings, Ford said that it is aware of 220 reports potentially related to this issue on Explorer and Aviator, and 52 on Expedition and Navigator. There are 24 allegations of property damage and nine alleged injuries (Ford says two of those are “allegations of emotional injuries”).
741,195 Vehicles Involved In Recall
2020 Lincoln Aviator Front AngleLincoln
It affects 2018-2021 Navigator and Expedition models, 2020-2021 Explorer and Aviator, and 2021 F-150 trucks. All have Ford’s 10-speed automatic transmission.
The fix to this hardware issue is a software update. Ford has an update for the powertrain control module that will prevent the transmission from requesting problem shifts while the vehicle is in motion. Ford and Lincoln dealers will also inspect the vehicles for damage and will replace the park system if they find any.
The Fix Is Still A Year Away
Letters notifying owners will go in the mail starting August 3, but the fix is going to take much longer. Ford says that it plans to issue new software, but that it won’t be ready until the second quarter of 2027. Letters notifying customers of the fix are expected to go out starting April 5, with a staggered mailing.
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If you want to know if your vehicle is affected, the NHTSA recall database has been updated with the new VINs. Ford and Lincoln’s recall sites are also searchable. If your vehicle is affected, you may want to start using the parking brake, especially when parked on hills.
