Ford recalls Bronco Sports and Mavericks for 12-volt battery problems: NPR

A Ford Maverick is offered for sale at a dealer in Chicago, Ill., in 2022. Mavericks are now part of a recall for defective 12-volt batteries.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

hide caption

change caption

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Ford is recalling nearly 273,000 vehicles for a possible 12-volt battery defect that, when present, can cause the vehicle to lose traction.

The recall specifically covers Ford Bronco Sports from model years 2021-2023 and Ford Maverick pickups from model years 2022 and 2023.

According to documents Ford submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a manufacturing defect can cause the batteries to degrade suddenly while driving. This can mean loss of power for accessories such as e.g. the hazard warning lights or a vehicle stalling while stopping. It can also leave a driver stuck when the SUV or truck fails to restart after the engine stops automatically, such as at a red light.

As required by a safety recall, Ford will repair the problem free of charge.

Drivers can confirm whether their vehicle is covered by this or another recall at NHTSA.gov, or by using the agency’s “SaferCar” app.

Ford’s paperwork says the problem was discovered after a major recall last year that was also related to vehicles losing power. At the time, Ford identified a problem in on-board computers that monitor a vehicle’s 12-volt battery. A recalibration should solve the problem.

However, even after this fix, some drivers reported that their vehicles had battery problems. So Ford looked again, and this time they found that 12-volt batteries from a particular supplier had several manufacturing defects.

About 1% of the batteries in these vehicles are expected to have the defect. Instead of identifying the defective ones, Ford will replace all batteries of that type with higher quality replacements.