Ford recalls 66,000 hybrids after earlier recall fix failed to solve defect

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Ford is recalling 66,383 hybrid vehicles over pedestrian warning sound failures.

Many affected vehicles previously received an earlier recall repair.

Engineers are still investigating part of the root cause.

Ford’s recall count is already so high that it often eclipses several rivals combined. Now the company is launching another recall campaign, this one including vehicles that were previously recalled for the same issue. You read that right. Ford is recalling over 66,000 hybrids because the fix for an earlier recall didn’t fully fix the defect it was supposed to address.

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According to documents submitted to the NHTSA , the recall affects 2025-2027 Ford Explorer Hybrid models and 2024-2027 Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid models equipped with the Phoenix audio system. In total, Ford says 18,242 Explorers and 48,141 Nautilus SUVs are involved. That’s 66,383 SUVs in total.

A Sound You’re Supposed To Hear

The issue centers on the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS), sometimes called the Pedestrian Alert System . Federal regulations require electrified vehicles to emit warning sounds at lower speeds because electric propulsion is often too quiet for pedestrians to hear. Ford says affected vehicles may randomly fail to emit those sounds while traveling below 18.6 mph (30 km/h) in electric mode due to an audio processing software error.

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What makes this recall especially interesting is its connection to Ford’s previous Safety Recall 25SA2. That campaign addressed a software-related defect in the Digital Signal Processor (DSP) and Audio Control Module. After dealers began applying the remedy in late 2025, Ford started receiving complaints from owners reporting that the pedestrian warning system had stopped working again. Many also saw a dashboard message reading, “Pedestrian Sounder Fault. Service Now.”

Ford’s investigation found a potential software issue within the 24-channel DSP system used on some Nautilus hybrids. But that explanation accounted for only part of the problem. Engineers later identified another issue that appears capable of affecting all audio-system configurations in both the Nautilus Hybrid and Explorer Hybrid.

Still Chasing The Root Cause

Ford believes the problem may be linked to a loss of communication between the Audio Control Module and the Accessory Protocol Interface Module, although the exact root cause remains under investigation. As of May 1, Ford had received 72 warranty claims related to post-recall pedestrian alert system failures, including 65 involving the Nautilus and seven involving the Explorer.

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The automaker says it is not aware of any crashes or injuries tied to the defect. Additional remedy actions beyond a software update are under development, Ford says. Hopefully, this time, it can solve the issue for good, but we won’t hold our breath.

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