Over 20,000 Ford vehicles recalled in South Africa due to safety issues

The Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) has announced a recall affecting thousands of its vehicles across the region.

The recall relates to certain Ford models built between 2021 and 2025 and affects several popular models including the Ford Ranger, Everest, Puma, and EcoSport.

The recent announcement specifically highlights issues with the Ford Ranger and Everest, both equipped with 3.0L V6 engines and produced between June 2022 and March 2025.

Upon investigation, FMCSA discovered a potential defect in the left-side camshaft sprocket that could fracture, leading to an unexpected engine stall—a situation Ford has described as raising “the risk of an accident.”

In some of the affected vehicles, FMCSA said the infotainment screen may freeze followed by a black screen and a system reboot and if this occurs while reversing the vehicle, the rear-view image may be frozen, missing or delayed.

"A frozen rear-view camera display image while in reverse may create a false representation of where the vehicle is relative to its surroundings, increasing the risk of an accident," said FMCSA.

The recall affects a total of 21,736 vehicles across the Southern African region, with the vast majority, 20,693 vehicles, located in South Africa. Namibia follows with 657, Botswana with 363, and Eswatini with just 23 vehicles impacted. Notably, the breakdown of affected vehicles is as follows:

• Ford Ranger: 17,741 affected vehicles (South Africa – 16,820; Botswana – 327; Namibia – 579; Swaziland – 15).
• Ford Everest: 3,317 affected vehicles (South Africa – 3,199; Botswana – 35; Namibia – 76; Swaziland – 7).
• Ford Transit Custom: 678 affected vehicles (South Africa – 674; Botswana – 1; Namibia – 2; Swaziland – 1).

FMCSA said it's working to provide software for the repair, when the remedy becomes available and will notify the customer via mail to schedule a service appointment with their dealer for repairs to be completed free of charge.

The remedy is anticipated to be available in the third quarter of 2025.

"Our commitment, together with our dealer partners, is to provide customers with the highest level of service and support," said 

If customers would like to check if their Ford vehicle is affected by this or any other recall, they can visit www.ford.co.za/owner/recalls/ and enter their VIN number in the search bar. Customers can also view recent safety recalls by clicking here.

Customers can also contact Customer Relationship Resolution Centre directly at 0860 011 022 / +2712 843 5824 (international callers) or CRC3@ford.com in the event that they may have any queries regarding this customer service action.

sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za

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