The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer and Mustang vehicles. The engine piston circlips may have been incorrectly installed during manufacturing, which can result in piston failure and engine damage, leading to a loss of drive power.
The risk
An unexpected loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect the engine for missing or mis-installed circlips and replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 10, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S23. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on April 2, 2026.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Explorer | 2026 |
| Ford Mustang | 2026 |
Components: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL
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 Mustang | 2026 | 8 | 5 |
Other engine and engine cooling recalls in 2026
17 of the 666 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2026 concerned the engine and engine cooling; Ford Motor Company filed 737 campaigns in all.
| 26V659000 7 Oct 2026 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing |
| 26V573000 3 Sept 2026 | Nova Bus (US) Inc. |
| 26V548000 25 Aug 2026 | Ford Motor Company |
| 26V532000 13 Aug 2026 | Ford Motor Company |
| 26V343000 27 May 2026 | Ford Motor Company |
| 26V320000 20 May 2026 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing |
| 26V287000 6 May 2026 | Corp. Micro Bird, Inc. |
| 26V286000 6 May 2026 | Corp. Micro Bird, Inc. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2026