2 days ago
Ford recalls thousands of vehicles in South Africa
The Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa has announced a major safety recall impacting thousands of vehicles sold between 2018 and 2025, with the Ford Ranger being the most widely affected model.
The recall includes:
Ford Ranger
Ford Mustang
Ford EcoSport
Ford Everest
Ford Transit Custom
The issues range from infotainment and camera system failures to mechanical concerns that may increase the risk of accidents.
The company has identified a serious issue in eight 2025 Ford Ranger vehicles where the transmission main valve body's internal dimensions do not meet engineering specifications. This defect can cause the following problems:
Vehicle may fail to move in reverse gear.
Vehicle may move forward when placed in reverse or neutral.
Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) and Wrench light will illuminate.
Unexpected forward motion increases the risk of an accident. Ford is sourcing replacement parts, expected to arrive by October 2025, and will notify affected owners.
Certain models built between 2018 and 2023 may experience system instability in the SYNC infotainment unit. This occurs after repeated short ignition cycles, leading to:
Frozen or blank rear-view camera images.
Rear-view images remaining on screen after reversing.
A frozen image may mislead drivers about their surroundings, raising the risk of a collision. 33 vehicles in South Africa are affected, broken down as follows:
Ford Mustang – 30
Ford EcoSport – 1
Ford Ranger – 1
Ford Everest – 1
Ford expects to provide a software update by the third quarter of 2025.
The largest recall involves 20,693 vehicles built between 2021 and 2025. Ford reports that the infotainment screens in affected vehicles may:
Freeze, then reboot with a black screen.
Freeze or delay the rear-view camera while reversing.
This defect impacts visibility and increases accident risks. The affected vehicles include:
Ford Ranger – 16,820
Ford Everest – 3,199
Ford Transit Custom – 674
Ford anticipates a fix by the third quarter of 2025.
Ford emphasised that all repairs will be completed free of charge once solutions are available.
Customers can check if their vehicle is affected by visiting:
🔗
(Enter your VIN number in the search bar)
They can also contact the Customer Relationship Resolution Centre:
📞 0860 011 022 (South Africa)
📞 +27 12 843 5824 (International)
📧 [email protected]
In a statement, Ford reassured customers:
'Our commitment, together with our dealer partners, is to provide customers with the highest level of service and support.'
With thousands of vehicles in Potchefstroom and across South Africa potentially affected, Ford urges drivers to take action immediately to ensure their vehicles remain safe to operate.
