Ford just admitted it knew drivers were losing their windshield wipers back in 2021.
The company opened an investigation, looked at the problem, and shut it down – deciding the risk wasn't serious enough to act on.
Now four years later they're recalling 615,000 vehicles and telling customers they'll have to wait until May for a fix.
Ford Explorer and Ford Escape Recall 2026: What the Wiper Motor Defect Actually Means
The facts are not complicated.
In June 2021, Ford's own investigation team found that the wiper motors in 2020-2022 Explorer, Escape, Lincoln Aviator, and Lincoln Corsair vehicles had a manufacturing defect.
During assembly, a terminal inside the motor was installed slightly out of position – a misalignment small enough to miss on the line but significant enough to slowly destroy the electrical connection over time.
Ford's response in September 2021 was to close the investigation and declare the defect posed no "unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety."
They were wrong.
By November 2025, Ford's Critical Concern Review Group was forced to reopen the investigation when warranty claims started spiking again.
By February 2026, the company had identified 1,374 warranty claims tied to wiper failures or intermittent problems – customers who had been driving with defective wipers for years.
Ford issued the recall on March 4, 2026.
The part that should make every Explorer owner furious: dealers won't even have replacement motors available until May 11 at the earliest.
That means if your wipers fail in a rainstorm tonight, Ford's answer is to wait two more months.
Ford Recall Record: 152 Recalls in 2025 and the Pattern Is Getting Worse
This story isn't just about windshield wipers.
Ford set an all-time industry record in 2025 – 152 separate recalls covering nearly 13 million vehicles.
That's more recalls than the next nine automakers combined.
It's nearly double the previous record, which General Motors set back in 2014 – a year that triggered congressional hearings and national outrage.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has called quality the company's "number one issue" for years.
They've hired new quality executives, doubled the size of their safety team, and deployed artificial intelligence to catch defects on the assembly line.
And yet Ford is on pace to lead the industry in recalls for the fourth time in five years.
The 2026 count already stands at 14 – nearly three times more than Toyota or Hyundai at the same point in the year.
The driveshaft recall announced this week affects 11,431 F-250 and F-350 Super Duty trucks from the 2025 and 2026 model years – brand new trucks with a weld failure that can cause sudden driveshaft separation.
Ford didn't catch this in the design phase or on the assembly line.
Three trucks had to physically come apart during end-of-line testing before anyone stopped production.
Ford Recall VIN Lookup: How to Check If Your Explorer Escape or Lincoln Is Affected
If you own a 2020, 2021, or 2022 Ford Explorer, Escape, Lincoln Aviator, or Lincoln Corsair, your vehicle may be part of this recall.
Owner notification letters go out between March 9 and March 13 – but don't wait for the mail.
Search your Vehicle Identification Number at NHTSA.gov right now, or call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Dealers will inspect and replace the wiper motor at no charge.
If your wipers start skipping or hesitating in wet weather before the appointment is available, that's the defect progressing toward complete failure.
Check your VIN today.
Sources:
- Bradford Betz, "Ford recalls more than 615,000 vehicles over wiper, driveshaft defects," Fox Business, March 5, 2026.
- "Ford Windshield Wiper Failure Recall Follows 1,374 Warranty Claims," CarComplaints.com, March 6, 2026.
- "Ford Recalls 605,000 SUVs Nearly Five Years After Wiper Problem First Appeared," Autoblog, March 5, 2026.
- "Ford had a record-breaking recall year. Here's how it plans to fix quality," The Detroit News, January 1, 2026.
- "Ford Recalled More Cars Than The Next 9 Brands Combined In 2025," Carscoops, January 4, 2026.