Ford Recalls Thousands of 2025 Transit Vans Over Braking Issue, NHTSA Issues ‘Do Not Drive’ Advisory
Ford is recalling thousands of 2025 Transit vans due to a brake pedal assembly issue. The recall has led the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) to issue a “do not drive” advisory.
Ford possibly assembled the brake booster component in the affected Transit vans without a cotter pin, according to the NHTSA recall report. The recall affects 15,965 vehicles.
The NHTSA reports, “Certain vehicles may have been built without the cotter pin that secures the brake booster pushrod to the brake pedal, which can cause the brake booster pushrod to separate from the brake pedal. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 105 Hydraulic and electric brake systems, section S5.6 Brake system integrity.”
What does that mean?
That means the factory may have failed to install the cotter pin on the brake boost assembly, and Ford did not discover the missing cotter pin during a subsequent operation to add a redundant retention clip.
As a result, the brake pedal and brake booster pushrod may separate. This can lead to a loss of braking ability while operating the van, raising the possibility of an accident.
There have been at least three reports of the cotter pin that holds the brake pedal pushrod onto the pedal being missing on 2025 Ford Transit vans. As far as Ford is aware, there have been no reports of accidents or injuries associated with this problem.
Ford recommends that owners refrain from operating their van until they confirm the brake booster pushrod cotter pin’s existence. Owners will receive a letter informing them to work with their Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the brake booster assembly examined and fixed if needed. This service will be provided without charge.
Ford anticipates that remedy owner notice letters will be mailed starting on March 02, 2026, and finished by March 06, 2026.
Ford is picking up right where it left off in 2025 when it comes to recalls
On Tuesday, MotorBiscuit reported that, due to the potential for abrupt steering loss, Ford announced a recall of more than 412,000 Explorer SUVs. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), steering control loss could result from the toe links in the rear suspensions of Ford Explorers breaking.
In 2025, Ford issued 153 recall warnings to consumers, setting a record, and recalled about 13 million vehicles. Ford’s chief operations officer, Kumar Galhotra, claimed it was a good thing despite those figures. It was so good, in fact, that the automaker reportedly awarded its employees large bonuses based on increased initial quality.
