Ford has identified a troubling issue in Mavericks manufactured between 2022 and 2023, potentially leading to the malfunction of their instrument screens. Consequently, the American automaker has initiated a recall of these compact pickup trucks to rectify the software.
The concern came to Ford's attention after discovering 167 warranty claims linked to this problem. The Critical Concern Review Group (CCRG) was alerted to the issue on October 3, 2023, by the plant vehicle team at the Hermosillo, Mexico, assembly plant during an analysis of one of these warranty claims.
Reports indicated that the instrument cluster failed to illuminate, rendering gauges and certain safety indicators unreadable under specific conditions. Driving a vehicle with non-functional dials can significantly impede nighttime visibility and operational awareness, posing unexpected challenges.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) mandates that a vehicle's instrument cluster and other essential vehicle information must illuminate. Failure to comply not only violates regulations but also heightens the risk of accidents, apart from being an inconvenience to owners. Fortunately, Ford has not received reports of any injuries or accidents stemming from this issue.
Ford has identified the root cause as rapid CAN signal transitions from Sleep to Awake, resulting in the corruption of internal memory registers, thereby preventing the instrument cluster's illumination. This glitch potentially affects up to 62,813 Mavericks in the United States.
To address this issue, Ford will provide a software update, which its dealer technicians will install in all affected vehicles free of charge. The recall campaign is set to commence on March 18, with Ford reaching out to owners to ensure prompt resolution of the problem.