Ford is recalling more than 100,000 F-150 trucks for potentially defective axle hub bolts.
If you own a 2023-2025 Ford F-150 with the Trail Tow Max Duty package and a 9.75-inch heavy duty rear axle, you’ll want to pay attention to this latest recall campaign. Ford told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in recently published documents that certain trucks may have an issue with the rear axle hub bolts, which may create a clicking noise and break due to fatigue. In total, the issue impacts 103,174 trucks.
Over time, if a rear axle hub bolt comes loose and breaks, they will no longer prevent micromovements between the hub splines and axle shaft splines. A combination of the micromovement and corrosion may result in the stripping of the hub splines and loss of motive power to the rear end, or cause a rollaway condition when vehicles are parked without the parking brake applied.
Before a bolt actually breaks, drivers may hear a clicking noise from the rear end. After a break, there may be a rattling noise, and Ford says the broken bolt head will be contained within the wheel center cap.
What’s the fix?
Ford says in its report to the NHTSA that affected 2023-2025 F-150s were built between January 2, 2023 and May 21, 2025. The automaker also breaks down how many trucks from each model year are included in the recall, based on which trucks have the Trailer Tow Max Duty package:
- 2023 Ford F-150: 44,922 units
- 2024 Ford F-150: 38,144 units
- 2025 Ford F-150: 20,208 units
The company started investigating the issue in June, when an increase of reports in broken rear axle hub bolts came to its internal Critical Concern Review Group (CCRG). It reviewed an earlier recall for the same issue on 2021-2023 F-150s with a similar package configuration, and found through vehicle owner questionnaires that at least 12 trucks with the condition were produced after the initial recall period. As of July 14, Ford says it’s aware of 194 warranty claims for broken rear axle hub bolts, describing stripped splines on trucks produced after the first (23S65) recall. No accidents or injuries related to the condition were reported.
The company introduced a new rear axle shaft assembly design with new spline geometry with a larger contact area and an M24 stud and nut for the hub into production in May 2025.
Owners will receive notifications in the mail about this recall in phases over the next several months, starting on August 18 and ending on May 22, 2026. Dealer technicians will replace the left and right rear axle shaft assemblies with the new design, free of charge.
The NHTSA recall number for this campaign is 25V-512, while Ford’s internal recall number is 25S82.
