Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair PHEV Recall Over Battery Defect

Vehicle Recalls high NHTSA · · United States

Ford Motor Company is recalling certain 2023-2026 plug-in hybrid vehicles due to a manufacturing defect in the high voltage battery that could lead to battery failure and increased crash risk.

What this vehicle recalls alert tells you, and what most readers miss

This notice was issued by NHTSA on April 8, 2026 and geographically references United States. Its severity classification of "high" signals how the issuing agency weighs the risk of harm if no action is taken — "critical" and "high" tier alerts typically carry direct consumer actions, while "medium" and "low" tend toward informational guidance or monitoring advisories. The category it belongs to — Vehicle Recalls — determines the regulatory framework behind it, which shapes what remedies (refunds, replacements, recalls, evacuations) are available to affected individuals and who holds statutory responsibility for enforcement.

Most readers skim an alert like this, check whether they are personally affected, and move on. The more useful lens is to read the alert as a data point about the issuing system: how quickly NHTSA detected the hazard, how precise the geographic or product-identifier scope is, and whether similar alerts have clustered in the same category or region in the last 90 days. Cluster patterns frequently precede a broader regulatory action — a single localized vehicle recalls advisory is isolated; three of them within a quarter often indicate a supply-chain, infrastructure, or seasonal driver that will keep producing notices until something structural changes.

For decision-making, Areazine pairs each alert with the original agency URL, the full agency name, and a timestamp so you can verify the notice against the primary source before acting on it. Tags on this item (recall, product-safety, nhtsa, Vehicle) map to related alerts in the same area of risk — browsing them together gives a clearer picture than any single notice alone, because the shape of an ongoing issue only becomes visible across multiple sequential alerts.

Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair PHEV Recall Over Battery Defect

What Happened

Ford Motor Company is recalling certain 2023-2025 Ford Escape PHEV and 2023-2026 Lincoln Corsair PHEV vehicles due to a manufacturing defect in one or more high voltage battery cells. This defect may result in an internal short circuit and battery failure.

Which Products Are Affected

The recall involves approximately 24,690 units of the following vehicles: 2023-2025 Ford Escape PHEV and 2023-2026 Lincoln Corsair PHEV. This recall expands previous recalls numbered 24V954 and 25V489. The NHTSA campaign number is 26V091000, and Ford's recall number is 25SC4. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall are searchable on NHTSA.gov as of February 18, 2026.

What You Should Do

Owners are advised to only use "Auto EV" mode and charge their vehicles to a maximum of 80% battery capacity until the repair is available. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 26, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 for more information. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is developed.

Why This Matters

The recall addresses a potential loss of drive power that could increase the risk of a crash, as well as a risk of fire, highlighting significant safety concerns for affected vehicle owners.

Source

This information is from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). For more details, visit the NHTSA website and search for campaign number 26V091000 at https://www.nhtsa.gov.

Source: NHTSA Official Notice

Related Articles

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this vehicle recalls alert about?
Ford Motor Company is recalling certain 2023-2026 plug-in hybrid vehicles due to a manufacturing defect in the high voltage battery that could lead to battery failure and increased crash risk.
Which agency issued this alert?
This alert was issued by NHTSA. The original notice is available at the source link at the bottom of this article.
How severe is this alert?
This alert is classified as "high" severity. Take precautions and monitor for updates.
What area is affected?
This alert affects United States. Check with NHTSA for the most current geographic scope.
Where can I find more vehicle recalls alerts?
Browse all vehicle recalls alerts on Areazine at areazine.com/recalls/vehicles/ for the latest updates from NHTSA and other agencies.