Can Roll Itself While Parking, Ford Recalls Hundreds of New Model Hybrid SUVs

Lincoln Corsairs 2026. (Photo: Lincoln)

JAKARTA - Ford Motor Company's latest lineup of hybrid SUVs has been hit by bad news. The giant manufacturer from the United States officially announced a recall for two of its powerful models of the 2026 model year, namely the Ford Escape and its premium twin, the Lincoln Corsair.

This recall was carried out after a potential malfunction was found in the braking system, which is quite crucial. The vehicle is reported to be at risk of moving or rolling itself while parked (rollaway risk), which can potentially trigger accidents.

Based on the official recall report document from Ford, reported by Autoblog, Wednesday, May 21, the main obstacle lies in the Electronic Park Brake (EPB). This smart system is reported not to be automatically activated or locked as it should when the driver has moved the transmission lever to the "Park" (P) position.

An in-depth investigation conducted by the company internally led to a component called the second generation Integrated Park Modules (IPMs). This special component is reportedly installed as part of a limited production trial at their factory facility.

Technically, Ford explained that there was a symptom of an obstacle or stuck component of the retaining component (pawl) against the explorer component (slider) inside the IPM module.

"Binding (symptoms stuck) between the pawl components of the vehicle and the IPM slider component can prevent the slider from returning to the fully engaged parking position," wrote an official statement from Ford.

As a result of this mechanical obstacle, the slider component is blocked from being able to return to the full locking position when the parking mode is activated.

Only Affects Hundreds of Units of Hybrid Variants

Although this problem sounds alarming, Ford ensures that this production defect is detected very early so that it does not spread to the mass market. In total, there are only 208 affected vehicles worldwide.

All units included in the recall list are 2026 model year hybrid-engined variants. Of the total 208 units, the majority is dominated by the Ford Escape, while its exclusive twin, the Lincoln Corsair, is only recorded as five units.

Responding to the safety issue, Ford moved quickly to prepare mitigation measures. Vehicle owners on the recall list do not need to worry about having to replace complicated physical components.

Ford confirmed that it will solve this problem simply through a software update on the vehicle's IPM module. The entire process of system updates and repairs will be facilitated directly by the official Ford dealer network, and is guaranteed to be 100% free of charge without any fee from consumers.