Ford Recalls 4.4 Million Vehicles Over Trailer Brake Issue

Ford F-150 Lightning Towing
Photos: Courtesy of Ford Media

If you’ve got a Ford truck or SUV with towing capacity, you better check your mailbox soon. Ford just issued a recall on nearly 4.4 million of its trucks and SUVs over an issue with the Integrated Trailer Module software. A flaw in the system can disable trailer lighting and brake function while towing, leading to potential accidents or violations of required signaling. Vehicles effected include certain years of the F-150, F-250 Super Duty, E-Transit, Expedition, Maverick, Ranger, and the Lincoln Navigator.

According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration : “If a loss of communication condition occurs when a trailer is connected to the vehicle, it would result in the loss of stop lamps and turn signal indicators for both High and Low series as well as the loss of trailer brake function for High series only. However, the loss of communications can occur with-or-without a trailer connected at the vehicle’s startup after exiting a “sleep mode” state. If this occurs, the vehicle’s instrument panel cluster will contain a pop-up notification screen that there is a “Trailer Brake Module Fault.”

Anything that interferes in signal communication is a no-no (basically, lighting and signaling is essential both for safety and legality) so Ford is under an obligation to address the problem.

That being said, the fix is simple. According to the NHSTA brief: “The remedy for this program is an ITRM software update. Ford is anticipated to begin Ford Software Update and Lincoln Software Update Over-The-Air (OTA) deployment to update the ITRM software for affected vehicles in May 2026. Alternatively, owners will have the option to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to complete the software update. There will be no charge for this service.” It also states that dealerships will be notified by March 17, 2026 and that VINs will also be searchable by that date. So, if you own one of the following vehicles, be on the lookout for a dealer notification letter by the end of March 2026.

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