Recall Alert: 2025-2026 Ford Bronco Sport, Maverick

Ford Motor Company has announced a safety recall affecting over 3,000 vehicles due to a faulty sensor that could prevent air bags from deploying correctly during a crash.

The recall (NHTSA ID: 26V201000) impacts approximately 3,170 units across the 2025–2026 Bronco Sport and Maverick lineups.

According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the issue lies within the Occupant Classification Sensor (OCS) in the front passenger seat. This sensor is designed to detect the weight and size of a passenger to determine if—and how—the air bag should deploy.

Ford reported that the OCS unit may fail to accurately distinguish between an adult and a child. This defect means the vehicles currently fail to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, which governs "Occupant Crash Protection." In the event of an accident, a malfunctioning sensor could lead to improper air bag performance, increasing the risk of injury to passengers.

Ford has confirmed that dealers will replace the passenger seat OCS unit entirely free of charge. However, owners will likely have to wait several months for the permanent fix.

Initial Notification: Ford expects to mail interim safety risk letters to owners by April 13, 2026.

Final Repair: A second round of letters will be sent once replacement parts are available, currently anticipated for November 2026.

What Owners Should Do

Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) for the affected vehicles were integrated into the NHTSA database on April 2, 2026. Owners can check if their vehicle is included by visiting NHTSA.gov or by calling Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's internal reference number for this recall is 26C19.

Disclosure: This article was partially written by AI and edited by a human staffer.

[Image: Ford]

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