Ford Recalls 600,000 Vehicles: What You Need to Know
Ford has recalled more than 600,000 vehicles due to faulty windshield wipers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The recall affects Ford Explorer, Ford Escape, Lincoln Aviator, and Lincoln Corsair models from 2020, 2021, and 2022. The windshield wipers' motor may fail and potentially lead to them stopping working. Obviously, this impacted visibility presents a huge safety hazard — especially during this winter's rough inclement weather. The last thing you want when driving during a snowstorm is for your windshield wipers to bust.
Customers with affected vehicles will be notified via letter after March 9. In the meantime, they can take the affected cars to a dealership to have them inspected and replaced for free. The company will send out additional letters in May "once the final remedy is available.
Only a Small Number of Recalled Cars Are Affected
While 604,533 vehicles have been recalled, Ford estimates that only 1 percent of them is actually affected by the faulty wiper motor, per the Safety Recall Report. The company has been able to identify the specific part numbers of the faulty parts and can find them in affected cars.
The snafu is due to an error during the manufacturing process. When the wiper motors were assembled, one piece — the cover terminal — may have been misaligned with another piece — the brush card terminal. This misalignment negatively affects the connection between the wipers and the motor, a connection that could ultimately diminish with use, causing failure.
Ford Has Been Aware of This Issue For Years
This has actually been an issue with these specific cars since 2021. Several customers complained about their windshield wipers failing, resulting in an investigation. Ford closed its investigation that same year, finding "that the condition did not pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety." But in November 2025, it reopened the investigation after coming across data revealing a higher rate of wiper failure for those same models.
While Ford reports no knowledge of any injuries due to the faulty wipers, the company noted that 1,374 affected customers had made warranty claims, which led in part to the investigation being reopened.