The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer, Mustang, Lincoln Corsair, and 2025 Maverick vehicles. The cylinder head may have been improperly manufactured, which can cause the ball plugs to fail, resulting in an oil leak.
The risk
An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components increases the risk of a fire. In addition, the loss of oil can result in engine seizure and loss of motive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the cylinder head assembly, free of charge. All affected vehicles are still within dealership inventory and therefore no owner notification letters will be mailed. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SD3. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 24, 2025.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Explorer | 2026 |
| Ford Maverick | 2025 |
| Ford Mustang | 2026 |
| Lincoln Corsair | 2026 |
Components: ENGINE
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Explorer | 2026 | 42 | 14 |
| Ford Maverick | 2025 | 24 | 12 |
| Ford Mustang | 2026 | 8 | 5 |
| Lincoln Corsair | 2026 | 0 | 4 |
Other engine recalls in 2025
8 of the 891 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2025 concerned the engine; Ford Motor Company filed 737 campaigns in all.
| 25V793000 17 Nov 2025 | Ford Motor Company |
| 25V766000 6 Nov 2025 | Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) |
| 25V628000 19 Sept 2025 | Ford Motor Company |
| 25V372000 3 Jun 2025 | Ford Motor Company |
| 25V345000 23 May 2025 | Ford Motor Company |
| 25V294000 7 May 2025 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| 25V100000 17 Feb 2025 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2025