Ford Recalls 422,000 SUVs Over Another Failing Rearview Camera Issue

Photo: Ford

For the second time this year, Ford and Lincoln SUV owners have to deal with another rear-view camera recall. The issue involves the 360-degree camera on the 2020-2023 Ford Explorer, the 2020-2023 Lincoln Aviator and the 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair — impacting 422,000 vehicles in total and replacing the recall about the same problem in January.

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) stated the 360-degree camera’s video output could fail, preventing an image from displaying. The Image Processing Module, or B (IPMB) software, is the source of the issue, but the reason behind the fault has yet to be found. According to Reuters, Ford said last year there were 17 minor crashes, over 2,100 warranty reports and no injuries over the malfunctioning backup feed.

For impacted vehicle owners, the NHTSA recall report states:

“The remedy is under development. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 26, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford’s number for this recall is 23S23. This recall expands and replaces NHTSA recall number 23V-022. Vehicles previously repaired under 23V-022 will need to have the new remedy performed.”

It sounds like the fix isn’t a simple one either. While all it would take is a software update to resolve the issue, the patch itself has to work, and this has already been an ongoing problem for Ford since 2020 when over 600,000 Ford and Lincoln vehicles were recalled. The following year, NHTSA investigated the Detroit automaker over the recall, arguing that Ford didn’t act fast enough. Hopefully, the third time will be the charm for this rear-view camera software.