2020–2022 Ford Explorer Recall: Rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture and cause the driveshaft…

NHTSA campaign 25V166000 · Power Train · filed Mar 14, 2025 · verified Jul 30, 2026

Units reported

Manufacturer

Ford Motor Company

Risk

Crash / injury

Owner letters

Mailing began Apr 25, 2025

The defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Explorer vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall numbers 23V-199 or 22V-255. The rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture and cause the driveshaft to disconnect.

The risk

A disconnected driveshaft can result in vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is placed in park without the parking brake applied. A disconnected driveshaft can also result in a loss of drive power. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.

Check whether your specific vehicle is affected

Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.

Check VIN on NHTSA →

The fix — what to do

Dealers will update the powertrain control module (PCM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 25, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S22.

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or go to nhtsa.gov.

Affected vehicles

Make	Model	Model years
Ford	Explorer	2020, 2021, 2022

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Source: NHTSA recall database, campaign 25V166000 (manufacturer number 25S22). Data last verified Jul 30, 2026.