Ford Rearview Camera Recall Issued for Nearly 1.1M Vehicles: NHTSA

Software defect in certain Ford vehicles may impact the rearview cameras, resulting in more than 200 warranty claims.

Federal highway safety officials have announced a recall of 1,075,299 Ford vehicles due to a potential defect in the rearview camera software, which could increase the risk of an auto accident.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the Ford rearview camera recall on May 27, warning that certain vehicles may have a software defect that could cause the rearview camera image to delay, freeze, or fail entirely.

A rearview camera, or backup camera, is an important safety feature that allows drivers to see behind themselves while the car is in reverse. Since at least May 2018, federal regulations have required that all new motor vehicles under 10,000 pounds feature a rearview camera, noting that if the image is not displayed, it may lead to a crash with another vehicle, object or bystanders.

While the NHTSA recall report does not list any injuries linked to the software problems, it does attribute one minor crash to the Ford rear-view cameras failing, which resulted in property.

Ford became aware of the problem on January 17, 2025, after the NHTSA contacted the company about complaints involving rearview cameras. The issue was escalated to Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group (CCRG) on February 6 for further evaluation.

Over the following months, engineers were able to replicate the issue and traced it to a software malfunction. The defect was linked to 232 warranty claims across affected models in North America.

To determine the full scope, Ford reviewed service records and over-the-air (OTA) data. The investigation found that only vehicles running SYNC4 software versions between 1.7 and 1.9 are affected. Versions below 1.7 or above 1.9 are not impacted.

On May 2, Ford decided to conduct a voluntary safety recall affecting the following vehicles and model years:

According to NHTSA officials, the recalled vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 111, which mandates “Rear Visibility” in vehicles.

Customers will begin receiving notification letters advising them of the safety risk on June 16. An additional letter will be sent when a free update of the accessory protocol interface module (APIM) software is available at local dealers or via an over-the-air update.

The company’s number for this recall is 25S49. Customers can also contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 or the company’s contact for this recall, Dusty Gardner, via email at dusty.gardner@dot.gov.

Owners with any additional questions can also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Rearview Camera Defects

Rearview camera malfunctions have become increasingly prevalent in recent months. Ford already received a $165 million fine last November, which was the second-largest fine in NHTSA history, for failing to comply with federal requirements regarding a rearview camera recall, which did not adequately address all vehicles that may have experienced serious safety problems.

In addition, Volvo recalled more than 400,000 vehicles for rearview camera failures in May, while Chrysler recalled certain Alfa Romeo and Dodge vehicles for a similar issue in April.

There was also a Tesla recall of nearly 240,000 vehicles earlier this year, and Hyundai recalled more than 226,000 Santa Fe and Elantra vehicles at the end of last year, all due to rearview camera failures.