Ford recalls vehicles for integrated park module that may fail to lock into Park
A vehicle that does not stay in Park can roll away unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Here’s the short version: Ford has a problem where you put the truck in Park, walk away, and the vehicle might not actually be in Park. It can roll. That’s the kind of defect that turns a quiet driveway into a crash report.
The recall is NHTSA campaign 25V863, and it covers 272,645 vehicles — the 2025 Ford Mustang Mach-E, the 2025 Ford Maverick, and the 2026 Ford Maverick.
What’s actually failing
These vehicles use what Ford calls an integrated park module. When you shift into Park, that module is supposed to lock the driveline so the vehicle physically can’t move. That’s the whole job of Park — it’s a mechanical hold, not just a position on the shifter.
The filing says the module may fail to lock into the park position when you shift into Park. So the display might say P, you might think you’re done, but the lock didn’t engage.
What does that mean for you behind the wheel, or standing next to the vehicle. A vehicle that doesn’t stay in Park can roll away on its own. On any kind of grade, that’s a runaway. The consequence in Ford’s own words: an unexpected rollaway raises the risk of a crash or injury. You don’t have to be in the seat for that to hurt someone.
This is not a noise-and-vibration annoyance. A rollaway is one of the more dangerous failure modes a vehicle can have, because it can happen when nobody’s controlling the vehicle at all.
What the filing says and when
The Part 573 acknowledgment letter for 25V863 is dated December 12, 2025. That’s the federal paperwork confirming the recall is on the books.
The fix is a software update. Dealers will reflash the affected system, consistent with Ford’s parking-assist and park-related remedies. There’s no charge to you for a recall repair — that’s federal law on a safety recall.
Here’s the timing you need to mark down: affected VINs become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning January 26, 2026. Until that date, you may not be able to confirm your specific vehicle through the VIN lookup. That gap matters, because a rollaway risk doesn’t wait for a calendar.
What this means if you own one
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Run your VIN — starting January 26, 2026. Go to NHTSA.gov, enter your 17-digit VIN, and check for campaign 25V863. If you check before that date and don’t see it listed yet, that doesn’t mean you’re clear. Check again on or after the 26th.
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Use your parking brake every single time. This is the practical protection while you wait for the software update. The whole defect is about Park not holding. Your parking brake is a separate system. Set it whenever you stop and shift to Park, especially on any slope. Make it a habit until the recall work is done.
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Take a no-roll symptom seriously. If you ever feel the vehicle creep or lurch after you’ve shifted to Park, or you hear it settle against the parking pawl in a way it didn’t before, treat that as real. Don’t rationalize it. Set the brake, chock a wheel if you can, and get it to a dealer.
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Get the software update done when it’s available. It’s free. It’s quick compared to most recall work because there’s no part to wait on. When Ford notifies you, schedule it. A reflash that prevents a rollaway is worth the trip.
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Document everything. Keep the recall notice when it arrives. Write down dates if you experience any symptom, what you felt, and what you told the dealer. If anything ever happens because the vehicle didn’t hold Park, that paper trail protects you.
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Know your rights. A safety recall repair is performed at no cost to you. You don’t pay for the software, the labor, or the diagnosis tied to 25V863. If a dealer tries to charge you, that’s not how a recall works.
These apply across all three covered vehicles. If you’re in a 2025 Ford Mustang Mach-E or a 2025 Ford Maverick, the steps are the same — and Maverick owners with the 2026 model year are in this campaign too.
The honest take
A park-lock failure is serious, and Ford treating it as a recall is the correct call. The good news is the remedy is software, not a teardown, so once VINs go live and the update rolls out, fixing your vehicle should be straightforward and free.
The part that bothers me is the window. The recall is acknowledged December 12, 2025, but you can’t confirm your VIN until January 26, 2026. That’s several weeks where you may know there’s a risk but can’t verify your specific vehicle through the official lookup. Don’t sit on your hands during that stretch. Set the parking brake religiously, watch for any creep, and check the VIN tool the moment it’s updated.
For the full picture, the source is Ford’s Part 573 acknowledgment letter for 25V863, filed with NHTSA. If you own one of these, the smart move is simple: use your parking brake now, get the software when it’s ready.