If you’ve recently bought one of Ford’s best-selling vehicles, like the wildly popular Bronco, the workhorse F-150, or the family-hauling Explorer, the company has some unsettling news for you. Ford is recalling a staggering 850,318 of its most iconic models worldwide, including 844,098 in the U.S. alone, from the 2021-2023 model years due to a defect that can cause the engine to suddenly stall while driving.
But the real kicker in this massive safety recall isn’t just the danger of your engine cutting out on the highway. It’s that Ford has admitted it doesn’t have a solution yet, and has ordered its dealers to immediately stop selling or even demonstrating the affected vehicles. “The remedy is under development,” the company plainly states in several documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
According to an urgent “DELIVERY HOLD” notice sent on July 8 to all U.S. dealers, the problem lies with a faulty low-pressure fuel pump that can fail unexpectedly. The consequence is blunt and dangerous: “An engine stall while driving increases the risk of a crash.”
The notice warns dealers they could face civil penalties of up to $27,168 per vehicle if they deliver an unremedied car. The list of affected vehicles, now frozen on dealership lots, reads like a who’s who of Ford’s modern lineup:
2021-2023 Ford Bronco
2021-2023 Ford Explorer
2021-2022 Ford F-150
2021-2023 Ford F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550 Super Duty trucks
2021-2022 Ford Mustang
2022 Ford Expedition
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