Ford Recall: Over 140K Vehicles Have Wires That Could Start An Electrical Fire

2026 is quickly turning out to be a terrible year for the Ford Motor Company. Within the first three months of the year, Ford amassed as many as 19 separate recalls that affected well over 7 million vehicles. In the April, the company added even more recalls to the list, with the newest one reportedly affecting an additional 140,000 vehicles. According to the NHTSA, the latest product recall issued by the company involves the 2024-2026 model year Ford Ranger pickup truck.

The affected Ford Ranger models are at risk of catching fire due to the possibility of a short circuit caused by a damaged wire located near the vehicle's A-pillar area. The wire in question supplies power to the right and left sun visor assembly of the vehicle. NHTSA documents indicate that the issue is caused by the use of excessively thick harness tapes and the improper positioning of the harness at the time of vehicle assembly. Ford deduced that this improper harness positioning could lead to the wire being exposed to the vehicle's sheet metal, leading to arcing and eventually increasing the chances of a major fire.

The issue came to light in October 2025 after the company came across a fire incident that affected the right A-pillar of a 2024 Ford Ranger. Investigation into the incident pointed to the likelihood of the fire being caused by a short-circuit. By November 2025, the trouble was flagged as a major issue to warrant the attention of Ford's Critical Concern Review Group (CCRG). Following a lengthy internal review, Ford's Field Review Committee approved the go-ahead for a field service action in April 2026.

Starting April 17, 2026, Ford began officially notifying its dealers about the issue and the mitigation steps it intends to take. As per the current schedule, Ford will start mailing owners about the issue starting April 27, 2026, with the company expecting all owners to be notified by May 1, 2026. If you think your Ford Ranger was purchased around the same time and could suffer from the same issue, you can verify by entering the VIN number of your vehicle on the NHTSA website.

Once Ford determines that your Ford Ranger is affected by the issue, you will need to take the vehicle to a Ford dealership, where it will once again be subjected to multiple tests. Once the test determines that your vehicle is at increased risk, all affected wires and wire harnesses will be replaced. In addition to wire replacement, all affected vehicles will receive a Body Control Module (BCM) software update that automatically turns off the sun visor lamp if its sensors detect an anomaly.

While no one has been directly hurt or injured on account of this issue, Ford has confirmed that it is aware of three separate warranty claims by users who reported a similar issue. Ford said it is also aware of multiple field reports and at least one customer service report centered around the issue.