Shift a Ford into reverse and the screen may show nothing at all. Or it may keep showing the camera feed long after the driver has pulled out of reverse. Either way, Ford is recalling 200,061 vehicles over the fault.
Ford told U.S. safety regulators that the blank screen or the lingering image raises the risk of a crash, the second one because it distracts the driver. The recall covers Ford and Lincoln models from the 2018 to 2024 model years. Ford’s list includes the Transit Connect, F-150, Explorer, Bronco Sport, Ranger, Mustang, Expedition, EcoSport, Escape, Edge, F-250 Super Duty, Corsair, Continental, Navigator, Nautilus and Aviator.
A full memory module
The recall report blames an error in the SYNC 3 infotainment software. It can interfere with the routines that compress log files, and those routines can use up all the free memory in the SYNC Accessory Protocol Interface Module. Once it is full, the module cannot write new files, and the camera display starts to fail. Some owners may also notice wrong language settings or an inability to receive software updates.
NHTSA’s Office of Defect Investigations notified Ford on Jan. 17 that it had received several owner questionnaires about rear-view camera problems on 2021-2023 Bronco Sport models. On March 27 the issue went to Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group. From April through May the group went through warranty data for the camera system’s components and found more image complaints on vehicles built from March 2023 through November 2023, the months when a specific SYNC 3 software release was introduced.
What owners should do
Dealers will update the camera software free of charge. Letters to owners are expected to go out starting July 28. Ford’s recall number is 25S72, and owners can call customer service at 1-866-436-7332. NHTSA’s vehicle safety hotline is 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-888-275-9171), and the agency’s site is www.nhtsa.gov.
Sources
- Ford recalls more than 200,000 vehicles over malfunctioning rearview camera – WCCB Charlotte
- Ford recalls 200K vehicles for backup camera display fault
