As early as April 2024, Ford Motor Company recalled 456,565 vehicles in the USA due to faulty powertrain and body control unit software. This software is designed to detect a sudden reduction in the performance of the 12-volt battery.
The recalled vehicles included the Maverick with the 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine. FoMoCo recalled 53,587 units of the 2022 and 2023 model years that were produced between February 2021 and October 2022.
Undetected degradation of battery performance can lead to unexpected loss of propulsion power and 12-volt accessories, thus increasing the risk of an accident. Before FoMoCo decided to recall the Maverick and Bronco Sport vehicles mentioned above, the Dearborn-based automaker was aware of 917 warranty reports, 11 field reports and 54 complaints related to the problem described. Big yikes!
Worse still, FoMoCo had also learned of three unconfirmed fire reports and two unconfirmed claims for damages. In each case, dealers were instructed to update both the body control unit and drive control unit software to better detect the battery’s state of charge and increase the generator’s output threshold to allow the vehicle to continue operating even when the state of charge is low during a drive cycle.
As the title suggests, certain examples of the Maverick EcoBoost were not properly repaired. To make matters worse, the vehicles in question were incorrectly closed as repaired in the system. FoMoCo found that the affected vehicles had received the wrong software update for the engine control unit. As a result, dealers will need to properly update 757 examples of this type.
Photo: Ford
That’s a drop in the bucket compared to the number of vehicles in the first recall, but classifying those 757 vehicles as repaired in the system is a massive oversight. Their owners will be notified by first-class mail between August 26 and 30 and instructed to submit the correct engine control module software.
Redesigned for the 2025 model year, the Maverick remains the most affordable new truck in the United States. Customers interested in the XL EcoBoost 2WD will have to spend a minimum of $26,295, while starting prices for the base 2024 Ranger and F-150 models are $32,720 and $36,965, respectively.
From an engineering perspective, the biggest change to the 2025 Maverick is the introduction of all-wheel drive for the 2.5-liter hybrid powertrain. It’s been a long time coming, and all-wheel drive will certainly help the most fuel-efficient Maverick in the range win new customers without cannibalizing sales of the Escape Hybrid.
The Bronco Sport will be assembled at the same plant as the Maverick and is scheduled to receive a mid-production cycle refresh on August 26. While it’s not clear if the Bronco Sport Hybrid is on the cards for the 2025 model year, we do know that Ford will improve off-road capability with a Bronco-inspired Sasquatch package.
