Ford has told owners of 4,653 Bronco Sport and Maverick vehicles not to drive them because a front suspension defect could let a wheel connection come apart. The automaker said the affected vehicles need to be checked by a Ford or Lincoln dealership before they are used again, and it will cover towing and inspection costs.
The recall spans 2,296 Bronco Sports from the 2021 through 2026 model years and 2,357 Mavericks from the 2022 through 2026 model years. Ford says customers will be contacted by June 5, which makes this a problem owners may not have seen coming but now have to treat as urgent if their vehicle is on the list.
Eric Stafford, who has written for Car and Driver since 2016, is among the writers tracking the recall because the defect is not a routine service issue. Ford said some front lower control arm ball joints were either incorrectly assembled or improperly repaired at the factory, which can leave the ball stud only partly engaged with the knuckle. In the worst case, Ford says the lower front ball joint could separate from the knuckle and the driver could lose control of the vehicle.
That warning carries weight even with one detail that softens the company’s immediate public safety record: the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report says Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries tied to the problem. Even so, Ford issued a Do Not Drive warning, a sign it believes the failure risk is serious enough that owners should leave the vehicles parked until a dealer inspects them.
What Ford has not said is how many of the 4,653 vehicles actually have the defect or where they are located. The company believes the problem will show up early in the Bronco Sport or Maverick’s life, which helps explain why the recall reaches so many relatively new vehicles across two models. For owners, the next step is plain: wait for the notice, arrange an inspection at their location or have the vehicle towed to a dealer, and do not take the risk of driving it first.
