Ford Will Replace the Entire Engine on 1,536 New Explorers, Rangers, and Broncos

Here’s the short version: Ford is recalling some of its newest Explorers, Rangers, and Broncos because the engine can fail outright — and the remedy isn’t a sensor or a software flash, it’s a brand-new engine. Ford has already mailed owners a letter warning them the engine might fail. The letter telling them how to actually get it fixed won’t come until the fall.

The defect, in plain English

The recall — NHTSA campaign 26V343000, Ford’s own number 26S35 — covers 2025–2026 Ford Explorer, Ranger, and Bronco vehicles. NHTSA’s filing doesn’t soften it: “The engine may fail, which can result in a loss of drive power.” An engine that quits on the highway is an engine that can leave you without power in traffic, which is exactly why NHTSA treats this as a crash risk rather than an inconvenience.

The remedy tells you how serious Ford considers it. Dealers won’t adjust or reflash anything — they’ll replace the engine long block: the core of the engine, including the block, crankshaft, pistons, connecting rods, bearings, and cylinder heads. You don’t swap a long block for a minor fault. That’s the repair you reach for when the internal hard parts are the problem.

A small, targeted recall — which is itself the clue

Only 1,536 vehicles are affected. That’s tiny for three high-volume nameplates, and the small number is the tell: this isn’t a flaw across the whole model line, it’s almost certainly a specific bad batch — a defined run of engines that left the plant with something wrong inside. If your VIN isn’t on the list, your vehicle isn’t part of this. If it is, the issue is internal and mechanical — not something you can baby your way around with careful driving.

The gap that should worry owners

Here’s the part worth flagging. Ford mailed interim letters on June 5, 2026 — letters whose entire purpose is to warn owners of the safety risk. But the actual repair isn’t expected to be available until November 2026. So for roughly five months, affected owners have been told, in writing, that their engine might fail and cut power — with no fix yet to schedule.

We’ve now seen this shape twice in a month. Toyota’s V35A Tundra engine has been under recall for the same class of internal failure with the remedy “still under development.” Now Ford is sending interim safety warnings months ahead of a repair. A recall is supposed to be an admission and a fix. Increasingly, the admission shows up long before the fix does.

What to do if you own one

1. Run your VIN — against Ford’s recall lookup and NHTSA’s. If you’re in 26S35, you’re in the population; if not, this one isn’t yours.
2. Take new noises or power loss seriously — a knock, rough running, or a sudden loss of power are the documented failure path, not new-car break-in quirks.
3. Watch for the second letter. The June interim letter is only the warning. The one that lets you book the long-block replacement comes later — Ford says around November. Don’t assume the recall is “handled” until that repair is actually done.
4. Keep records. Dates, symptoms, dealer visits. If your engine fails before the remedy ships, that paper trail is your leverage for a loaner, goodwill repair, or escalation.

We track these three by model year — the 2025 Explorer, 2025 Ranger, and 2025 Bronco each have their own page with the NHTSA campaigns and owner reports laid out. If you’re shopping a brand-new one, run the VIN before you sign anything.

A 1,536-unit recall won’t make national headlines. But if it’s your engine, the size of the recall doesn’t matter — what matters is that Ford has already told you it might fail, and the fix is still months away.