Dive Brief:
- Ford Motor Co. has recalled nearly 605,000 SUVs due to a supplier manufacturing defect in the windshield wiper motor that may cause it to fail, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- The recall involves certain 2020-2022 model year Ford Explorer and Escape SUVs; and Lincoln Aviator and Corsair vehicles produced between July 6, 2020, and Dec. 15, 2021. Roughly 1% of recalled vehicles are estimated to have defective wiper motors.
- Dealers will inspect and replace windshield wiper motors if necessary, free of charge. Interim notification letters are expected to be mailed by March 13, while remedy notification letters are expected to be sent beginning May 11.
Dive Insight:
Windshield wipers are mandated under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to maintain visibility in poor weather and other conditions that can obstruct the windshield and reduce visibility.
The front windshield wiper motors on the recalled vehicles may have a cover terminal that is “misaligned with the motor’s brush card terminal,” which results in a poor electrical connection that can lead to wiper failure over time, per the recall report. Before a failure occurs, drivers may notice that the wipers only work intermittently.
Ford has been aware of the condition since Jun. 17, 2021, when the automaker’s Critical Concern Review Group opened an investigation after noting a spike in warranty claims for inoperative windshield wiper motors in Explorer, Escape, Lincoln Corsair and Aviator vehicles. Ford’s investigation also included a teardown analysis of returned parts.
The windshield wiper motors were sourced from Tier 1 supplier Valeo and manufactured at a company facility in Mexico.
On Sept. 28, 2021, Ford’s CCRG closed its investigation, concluding that the condition did not pose “an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety,” according to the recall report. The company reasoned that the projected failure occurrence was low, and that the problem would be obvious to drivers and therefore did not violate Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
However, in late 2025, while investigating a separate issue, the automaker’s CCRG observed an increased rate of windshield wiper motor failure in vehicles produced between July 2020 and December 2021.
Ford subsequently reopened its investigation into the issue on Nov. 18, 2025.
Between November 2025 and February, Ford and Valeo reviewed historical teardown analyses and warranty claims, including replication testing to further understand the root cause of the wiper motor failures. The investigation established a connection between the issue and misaligned electrical components.
On Feb. 24, Ford’s Field Review Committee approved a recall, using supplier and warranty part return teardown analysis records to establish the recall population.
As of Feb. 18, Ford identified 1,374 warranty claims related to windshield wiper motors that fail to operate at least some of the time. However, the company is not aware of any crashes or injuries related to the problem.
Ford issued previous recalls over the past several years for wiper motor failures. In July 2022, the automaker recalled 157,000 model year 2021 F-150 pickups for wiper motors. A second recall was issued in November 2022 for over 453,000, model year 2021-2022 F-150 pickups for wipers.
In August 2024 Ford also recalled over 37,000 Bronco Sport SUVs, Maverick pickups and Mach-E electric vehicles for wiper motor issues.
