Ford Maverick trucks may have taillights that fail to illuminate, but the brake lights will still work.

In an age of “driver assistance” this and “semi-autonomous” that, we generally take it as read that basic functions, from steering to brakes and lighting, will function as intended without really having to think about it. Unfortunately, that is not always the case, as a new recall covering 2022-2024 Ford Maverick models covers an issue with the rear taillights failing to illuminate. In total, the issue may affect up to 242,669 examples.

Specifically, the issue of which Ford informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) doesn’t pertain to the actual taillight bulbs burning out. Instead, a certain calibration of the body control module (BCM) may falsely detect a current overload on one or both of the rear “position lamp circuits”. If that happens, the BCM will deactivate the circuit during a drive cycle as a protective measure. The end result, of course, is that one or both taillights will not work as intended. However, the problem does not impact the brake lights, the CHMSL (high-mount light), the turn signals or the headlights.

In further explaining the condition, Ford notes the Maverick employs two position bulbs on a single circuit, and the body control module was calibrated to the current draw for just one bulb (so, when it detects the higher current of two bulbs, it will think there’s a current overload and shut the circuit off).

The issue first made it to Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group on February 6, 2024. From there, the company’s Product Development Lighting Systems Team found several diagnostic codes related to inoperative rear taillamps. Ford also received 11 warranty claims potentially related to the problem, while data from 4,727 connected vehicles showed fault codes for the same issue. Of those, 1,555 vehicles tripped diagnostic trouble codes for both left and right taillamps on the same trip, in which case both lights would fail to illuminate at all.

Ford says the faulty calibration made its way into production on February 3, 2021, as the Maverick started its initial run. From there, it was taken out of production on March 21, 2024 — so this recall does impact most of the production run to-date.

What’s the fix?

Ford approved a field action to fix the Maverick’s BCM calibration issue on April 19, and subsequently passed along all the pertinent information to the NHTSA the following week.

Fortunately, Ford and Lincoln dealer technicians will update the BCM calibration to the latest version, free of charge. That version will update the overcurrent threshold on the taillights to actually account for two bulbs, correcting the system falsely thinking there’s a problem.

The automaker will mail out letters to owners starting on May 20. In the meantime, you can check Ford’s recall website, the NHTSA’s recall website, call Ford’s toll-free line at (866)-436-7332, or have your dealer check the On-line Automotive Service Information System (OASIS) for more information.

The NHTSA’s recall number for this campaign is 24V-293, while Ford’s recall number is 24S24.