Ford Recalls More Than 740,000 Vehicles Over Dangerous Parked Rollaway Risk

Automaker Ford Motor Company has launched a large-scale safety recall covering over 740,000 vehicles in the U.S. The affected units carry a defect that can cause vehicles to roll away unexpectedly when left parked, creating a major hazard for nearby property and bystanders. Below is everything you need to know about the latest Ford recall.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which falls under the U.S. Department of Transportation, has publicly released the recall report Ford submitted to the agency on June 24. The filing outlines full details of the recall, which Ford launched after discovering a critical issue with the transmission parking pawl in impacted vehicle models.

“Affected vehicles may experience temporary engagement of their transmission parking pawl while the vehicle is in motion when certain shifts are commanded by the transmission, potentially damaging park system components,” the official report notes.

Ford explains that if components of the parking system sustain damage, the transmission’s park function may not properly hold the vehicle in place when the parking brake is not activated. In simpler terms, vehicles with this damage can roll away suddenly even after being placed in park. This unplanned movement can damage the vehicle itself, nearby surrounding property, and cause serious injury to any bystanders in the vehicle’s path.

Per Ford’s official estimate, the recall covers a total of 741,195 potentially affected vehicles, and only around 1% of the covered fleet is expected to actually have the defect.