- Lincoln is recalling 132,914 Aviators because some trim pieces could detach while driving.
- The door and C-pillar trim on some 2020-25 SUVs didn’t get enough adhesive when new.
- Ford-Lincoln dealers will repair or replace the affected Aviators’ problem trim later this year.
Ford’s quality problems are getting out of hand. It’s already issued more recalls in the first six months of this year than it did in all of 2024, and we seem to be reporting on another new campaign every couple of days. The latest is about the Lincoln Aviator, whose trim wants to take to the skies.
Loosely Attached Trim
Just under 133,000 of the big, luxury SUVs are caught up in a recall because pieces of trim on the door and C-pillar might detach. Ford thinks the 2020-25 vehicles produced between Oct 19, 2018 and May 30, 2025, didn’t get enough bonding material to keep the trim in place, and some parts are coming unstuck. Over time, and possibly helped along by wind, vibration, or temperature changes, the trim could detach from the vehicle entirely.
Also: Ford Keeps Botching Repairs, Issues Two New Recalls Of Previous Recalls
While this is hardly as terrifying from a safety standpoint as the F-150 Lightning, whose ball joint nuts could come off, leading to a total loss of control, the NHTSA is concerned that flying Aviator trim could be a road hazard and cause other vehicles to have an accident.
Ford internally dismissed the idea of the trim causing a road hazard in 2023, but changed its mind two years later after more tests and a chat with the NHTSA. However, the automaker says it isn’t aware of any crashes or injuries related to this defect.
But safety concerns aside, finding your $80k SUV minus various bits of trim after doing nothing more taxing than driving down a paved road is also annoying and disappointing for the Aviator owners who could have bought a Lexus, Volvo, or Audi instead.
Ford says it will start mailing the registered owners of the 132,914 affected Lincolns on June 28 to notify them of the issue, though the fact that the automaker has already received over 1,100 warranty claims about the fault means some might already be aware of it. A second letter will then be sent out later about the fix, but Ford is giving no timeframe for this because it’s still working on the solution.
And that’s understandable when it has so many other quality niggles to sort out. This trim glitch is the third recall affecting the Aviator we’ve written about this month, previous problems concerning a second-row seat that may move unexpectedly, potentially during a crash, and a radio software problem that was previously fixed incorrectly.
