- Ford is recalling six 2026 Explorers with potentially seized connecting-rod bearings.
- The defect can cause engine failure, lost power, and a possible fire risk.
- Dealers will replace each affected Explorer’s engine long block free of charge.
Ford is recalling just six 2026 Explorers, but this isn’t a case of a loose trim clip or a slightly wonky screen. Every one of them needs an entirely new engine long block. The affected SUVs were built between February 10 and February 17, 2026, and use Ford’s 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine. According to the automaker’s recall filing, their connecting-rod bearings may seize, potentially causing an abrupt engine failure, a loss of motive power, and even punch a hole in the engine block.
None of that is good, and as Ford points out, could lead to a fire. Customers might hear knocking from the engine before catastrophic failure, but that’s not exactly comforting. While there might not be a hole in the block, that noise typically spells doom for an engine. What might be most interesting is how Ford found this issue in the first place.
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Evidently, its engineering quality team found 10 warranty-replaced engines that all had cylinder no. 2 issues. Each one had failed connecting rod bearings, and each had been built within roughly the same 30-minute window at Ford’s Dearborn Engine Plant. Interestingly, this happened shortly after a polishing shoe used during production was replaced. A polishing shoe is a precisely shaped abrasive tool that lightly finishes the crankshaft’s bearing surfaces so they’re smooth, round, and within extremely tight dimensional tolerances.
Plant data showed a shift in crank-pin ovality measurements for that tiny batch of crankshafts. Ford hasn’t yet determined exactly what caused the measurement change, but it has apparently seen enough to treat all six affected Explorers as a 100-percent problem population. As of August 11, Ford was aware of 11 warranty claims tied to the issue, with the first arriving on March 26. The company said it knew of no crashes or injuries connected to the defect.
That said, the issue is serious enough that Ford is going to contact owners directly by phone if possible. It has already sent letters to owners on August 24. All affected vehicles get a new engine long block free of charge.
