- Ford issued a Do Not Drive warning for select 2025 Transit vans.
- A missing cotter pin may cause total brake failure while driving.
- Roughly one percent of vans are thought to have the defect.
Ford has issued an urgent “Do Not Drive” warning to owners of select 2025 Transit models in the United States. That is not language any automaker uses lightly. Recalls are routine business these days, but telling customers to park their vans immediately is a different level of concern.
In certain Transit models, a cotter pin that secures the brake booster pushrod to the brake pedal may not have been installed. Without it, the pushrod could separate from the pedal entirely. If that happens, braking ability could be lost without warning, which is about as serious as it sounds.
Read: Ford Set A Recall Record, So Now Everyone Gets Bigger Quality Bonuses
According to Ford, the cotter pin was never fitted at the assembly plant. A later step that added a redundant retainer clip also failed to spot the omission, allowing the vans to leave the factory incomplete in a critical area.
A total of 15,965 vehicles are involved in the recall, all manufactured between January 21, 2025, and April 25, 2025. Ford believes that approximately 1 percent of the vehicles being recalled have the defect.
How The Issue Came To Light
The problem surfaced in December, when staff at the Kansas City Assembly Plant discovered a 2025 Transit without the brake booster pushrod cotter pin. An investigation quickly produced three reports of Transits in the field that were missing the pin. On the plus side, Ford isn’t aware of any accidents or injuries linked to the issue.
Owners of impacted 2025 Ford Transit models will be alerted to the recall between March 2 and March 6 and told to take their vehicle to the nearest Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the brake booster assembly inspected and repaired if necessary. Until the brake booster and pedal assembly have been checked, Ford advises owners not to drive their vehicles.
