Ford is recalling 123,611 2017-2018 Ford F-150s, Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators because of a problem with the brake master cylinder. According to NHTSA the recall only affects vehicles with the 3.5L Ecoboost engines. Ford first found out about the problem because of problems with Expeditions. The company also investigated the F-150s and Navigators and found similar issues.
What is Causing the Recall
According to paperwork filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
“In some of the affected vehicles, the brake master cylinder may allow brake fluid to leak from the brake master cylinder front wheel circuit into the brake booster. A substantial loss of brake fluid can reduce brake function to the front wheels. Reduced brake function in the front wheels can extend stopping distance, increasing the risk of a crash.”
Drivers might get a warning about the issue if the brake fluid level gets low enough. “If the brake fluid in the reservoir is depleted to a predetermined level, the driver will receive an audible chime, a message center alert, and a red brake warning indicator in the instrument cluster. If the driver continues to operate the vehicle, the driver may begin to experience a change in brake pedal travel and feel, and increased pedal effort.”
Ford is not aware of any accidents, injuries or fires connected to the brake fluid leak.
2017-2018 Vehicles Being Recalled
The brake master cylinder recall affects:
- 87,738 Ford F-150s
- 30,200 Ford Expeditions
- 5,673 Lincoln Navigators
It seems like the issue happened primarily with the SUVs because Ford has had 73 warranty complaints from Expedition and Navigator drivers but only 17 from F-150 drivers. According to the Safety Recall Report, Ford doesn’t know why the SUVs had a higher rate of problems. Some of the vehicles were recalled in 2022 about the possible brake fluid leak.
How Ford Will Fix the Problem
Ford will notify owners by mail starting April 28, 2025, and tell them to take their vehicles into a Ford or Lincoln dealer and have the brake master cylinder replaced. If the brake booster is leaking, service technicians will replace that as well. The NHTSA number for the recall is 25V-236. The Ford number for the recall is 25S37.
Ford Photo
Mary Conway is a professional automotive journalist and has decades of experience specializing in automotive news analysis. She covered the Detroit Three for more than twenty years for the ABC affiliate, in Detroit. Her affection for the Motor City comes naturally. Her father ran a gas station while Mary was growing up, in Wisconsin.
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