Ford can’t seem to wipe out its high number of safety recalls, and now nearly 70,000 Ford Mustangs might not even be able to wipe their own windshields. Model Year 2024-2026 Mustangs, including 289 copies of the Ring-crushing Mustang GTD, have been recalled because the wiper motor could lose contact with the control module.
Ford Can’t Wipe This Problem With New Software
Ford Mustang GTD Spirit of AmericaFord
The problem is a bit of an ironic one, especially for the 289 Fords built in Canada. Not that Flat Rock, Michigan is much warmer, but the Mustangs involved don’t have a problem until the temperature drops to freezing. Cold-weather operation, while certainly not impossible, isn’t exactly the Mustang’s forte. That’s especially true for GTD, which isn’t remotely suited for chilly temps.
How chilly are we talking about? At 0C, or 32F, the wiper motor can lose communication with the control module for the steering wheel. When that happens, the system might only work at the highest speed setting. The washer jet system can also become inoperable, another big problem in the cold. And federal safety standards say you need functioning wipers and washers on a car. Not having them could lead to an increased risk of a crash.
The specific problem is a chip. One of the hundreds of suppliers to the company sent the wrong microchip to the wiper motor factory. The board uses a 16kb chip, but the programming was for a 32kb architecture. That can cause errors, but for reasons we don’t fully understand, it causes more errors when it’s cold.
Related
All 2026 Ford Recalls By Model
All of the latest Ford recalls listed by model, in one place.
GTD is among the Mustangs recalled, but obviously that’s a very small percentage of the total. In all, there are 67,553 Mustangs from the 2024-2026 model years affected, along with the aforementioned 289 GTDs, all from 2025. Ford dealers will inspect the wiper motor and, if necessary, replace it with a new motor with the correct programming.
Delay Could Lead To Higher Mustang Prices
2025 Ford Mustang Ecoboost mountain viewFord
Notifications to customers go in the mail starting tomorrow, but Ford does not expect to have a fix until next year. It anticipates notifying owners of the fix starting at the end of March 2027. Ford said that it isn’t aware of any accidents or injuries resulting from the issue.
That long delay could be a problem for customers looking to buy a new or used Mustang. Dealers can’t sell any new vehicle inventory if it’s under recall, and they won’t be able to fix those vehicles until next year. With the last one affected built in February, they could all already be sold. But there could also be a pinch on availability.
This recall is on the smaller side of Ford’s recent recall troubles. Some vehicles have seen numbers well into the millions as the company works to get its quality numbers in check. Ford executives have said in the past that, after a long cycle of recalls, the issues should get better. But that’s not entirely how things are going – case-in-point being this very recall.
Related
Remember Those Mustangs That Got Recalled? Ford Needs Them Again
A small number of 2022 and 2023 Mustangs are being recalled (again) to fix a problem with the power steering module.
It certainly doesn’t help the numbers when the issue is the result of a supplier mistake, but addressing issues more quickly is why Ford has started more frequent testing, including daily reliability and teardown testing of engines to find problems there. How much worse can things get before they get better? At this point, it’s a question not likely to be answered this year.
