Home · 2023 Ford Maverick Later Release · Complaints

What 262 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 Ford Maverick Later Release

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (262)Crash / fire / injury (10)Transmission & drivetrain (93)Electrical system (77)Engine (69)Brakes (30)Speed control (28)Driver assistance (24)Suspension (15)Fuel system (14)Backup camera & sensors (13)Body & structure (11)

69 of 262 complaints match · Engine · clear filters · page 1 of 3

May 7, 2026SuspensionTransmission & drivetrainEngine

During acceleration from 40-60 miles per hour, there was a pronounced vibration/shudder through the front end of the vehicle. After taking it to the dealership, they advised both front axles would need to be replaced. The catastrophic failure of an axle is likely to cause a car crash. The problem has been identified by Ford Motor Company and also confirmed by the Ford Dealership where I got it fixed. Ford Motor Company issued Customer Satisfaction Program 25N09 On September 17, 2025. My vehicle is a 2023 model year, but produced at the same plant and in the same time frame as the the ones mentioned in 25N09. There were no warning lamps or messages about the problem. The only indication was the heavy vibration a few thousand miles prior to getting it looked at.

NHTSA ODI 11736287

Jan 27, 2026Engine

The throttle body component of the vehicle failed at approximately 40,000 miles. While this is an engine component that experiences normal wear and tear, throttle body valves fail anywhere between 75,000 and 100,000 miles. I have owned previous vehicles, each crossing the 100,000-mile mark, with no replacement or concern with the throttle body. My concern with this vehicle's throttle body relates to the outdoor weather conditions when the vehicle reported an issue. The outside air temperature was 3 degrees Fahrenheit with moderate winds and a wind chill of approximately -10 degrees Fahrenheit. Researching online, this appears to be a recurrent issue among other owners of this particular vehicle. When started, the vehicle appeared to misfire, potentially entering limp mode. An amber wrench light illuminated, indicating to have the vehicle serviced, and the engine light illuminated, indicating a problem with the emissions system. Additionally, the vehicle pushed a notification to my smartphone that stated the following: "The engine control system has detected the electronic throttle body is not responding as commanded and requires service." The vehicle was turned off and sat for 15 minutes. When the vehicle was restarted, the wrench light turned off, but the engine light remained on, not flashing. The vehicle operated normally, with no misfire. The failure of the throttle body in adversely cold conditions may cause the engine to stall or misfire, decreasing driver control and increasing the potential of a crash. It is of concern that this component seems to have failed early compared to other vehicles currently on the market. I believe the weather to be a contributing factor. The servicing dealership has confirmed that the throttle body must be replaced and has the appropriate part on back order. As this vehicle was not involved in an accident, no police reports or insurance claims have been filed. I plan on reaching out to the manufacturer to address these concerns.

NHTSA ODI 11713754

Jul 6, 2025Transmission & drivetrainSpeed controlEngine

While driving on the highway at normal speed in normal conditions, I suddenly lost ABS, traction control, downhill assist, hold assist, AdvanceTrac, Cruise control, and a severe reduction of power. The engine went into limp mode and would not rev past 3k RPM. This made driving on the highway very dangerous as I could not keep up speed and risked getting rear-ended. The wrench icon came on, as well as ABS and traction control. Cruise control would not work. Messages appeared stating "Service engine soon", "Service AdvanceTrac", "Downhill assist issue", "Hold assist issue", and a few more I can't recall. Sometimes they go away on its own and the vehicle works fine, sometimes restarting the vehicle clears the issue. The issues will appear randomly, sometimes very soon after starting the car and driving, sometimes 100 miles later.

NHTSA ODI 11671480

Jan 29, 2025Electrical systemEngineFuel system

Two problems 1. Auto Start/Stop feature 2. Pre-Collision Assist (1) Auto Start/Stop feature- unpredictable.. 1. My engine turns off at busy intersection for red light with a vehicle coming in fast from behind, I hit gas to move forward . My truck revs hard from starting with foot on gas and darts forward. Almost went into cross traffic. 2. There is a current recall on Maverick batteries. Numerous complaints on the Facebook Ford Maverick of vehicle shutting off for auto-stop, but not starting in traffic conditions due to the battery. Fact - any electrical or computer problem and your vehicle is now stranded in an intersection. The Maverick has several electrical recalls. 3. I have timed my Vehicle Restart response on camera. It takes approx 1 more second for my vehicle engine to re-start and advance forward. For many accidents 1 second is the difference of life and death. 4. When I stop to put the vehicle in reverse, it will auto-stop while I am shifting. My vehicle is now sitting in the road, until I hit reverse and no brake, then "jumps" backwards in reverse. 5. The feature cannot be turned off permanently- it must be turned off manually for every trip. Summary - I have sent these concerns to Ford. They will not provide a way to turn off this feature. Only option is to pay a mechanic to disable it with an aftermarket product, which could of course, damage something else. (2) Front Collision Warning System - Has gone off three times for no valid reason. One time simply passing an oncoming vehicle 2 times passing police vehicles on the side of the road with flashing lights. I have lowered it's alert level to low and seems to help. But clearly, Emergency lights setting off a system that takes some control of stirring and braking is a concern.

NHTSA ODI 11639495

Dec 24, 2024Transmission & drivetrainEngine

While driving down US-69, while attempting to pass a vehicle at about 80 mph, the vehicle shut off and proceeded to stop accelerating, as well as started to slow itself down. The instrument cluster flashed quickly before shutting off, and the radio also shut off. The cabin lights came on, and I had to switch to the right lane to quickly get onto the side of the road where it gradually slowed itself down and threw itself into park. I had taken the key out, and simply turned it back on, and everything seemed to work as normal after the fact. There were no indicators that this would happen, it was sudden and almost caused me to get rear ended by a semi truck.

NHTSA ODI 11632260

Dec 19, 2024Electrical systemEngineVisibility & wipers

Rear window driver side passenger failed and won’t go up or down bad regulator Transmission failure needs replaced at 1 year old Rear camera frozen no remedy on recall Engine failure during acceleration shifts to neutral then shifts to acceleration Engine acceleration at slow stops jerks forward during breaking Tires 1 year old under 25k miles no tread and needs replaced already Display shuts off randomly and stays frozen

NHTSA ODI 11631549

Nov 18, 2024Transmission & drivetrainEngine

Loss of motive control ongoing issue. This is documented problem being investigated by NTHSA, R2Q4014. Functional issue: • Engine flips into Neutral unexpectedly. Vehicle coasts to a stop, where it flips into Park on its own. • Vehicle requires a restart to move gear out of Neutral. After restarting vehicle, vehicle can operate on limited power that maxes out at about 35 mph. Acceleration is dramatically reduced, gradually ramping up as the vehicle continues to drive — the acceleration pedal does not control speed. Coming to a complete stop while driving with the vehicle in this reduced power mode requires another gradual ramp up to speed, making typical street driving difficult because it may take 30-45 seconds for the vehicle to ramp up to adequate speed (ramp from zero to 35mph), frustrating other drivers behind he vehicle who may think the slow speed is intentional. • After the vehicle has sat powered down for a number of minutes, it can be started up again at full power. I have seen this refractory period as low as 15 minutes and as high at 45-ish minutes. This issue has happened to me multiple times, 9 as of last count. Ford has attempted a fix twice now, and the issue persists. I would be happy to discuss full experience and how Ford has responded, or rather not responded, with your investigative team. Thank you for looking into this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11625995

Oct 11, 2024Engine

The plastic cooling system overflow expansion tank sign is stress cracking in the inlet tubing at approximately 8K miles. It has gotten worse with my odometer at 12K now. I have not contacted Ford regarding a warranty replacement because they would just replace it with the same defective part. I have further investigated this issue and found several documented cases with complete failure of the tank at a little as 20 K miles.

NHTSA ODI 11619385

Sep 10, 2024Engine

2023 Ford Maverick 2.0L engine current mileage 5300 Noticed oil leak on top of engine valve cover. Ford Mechanic stated there are (3) current service related engine leak issues with Maverick. (1) Plastic valve cover cracked (2) Turbo Oil leak (3) Timing Cover Leak. Mechanic stated a die test will need to be performed. After review of online forums, this appears to be a more common issue and can cause engine fire, especially since High Pressure fuel pump is also located on top of the engine. With Ford spreading repairs across three known issues, A recall investigation should be opened. Repair Sevice schedule for 9/19/24. Can provide repair invoices if desired after service. From research the valve cover, most likely culprit based on oil leak location, is a 2 week repair.

NHTSA ODI 11613769

Sep 4, 2024Engine

I have just recently bought a brand new truck, a hybrid model. Not a single mile on it when I purchased it, and I strongly feel that I almost died or caused an accident, completely not my fault but the truck’s fault. This has happened on 3 separate occasions. The first two times, as I was driving up the highway on a mountain road, I lost power, but just kind of chalked it up to maybe the fuel sloshing around, and no other vehicles were around me. The third time, I was returning home from work, on a busy 4-lane highway that goes across the pass and over the mountains, I was in the left lane, a semi truck was to my right, and a semi truck was behind me, we were passing the slower truck that was on the right, and I was traveling at around 55 mph, the truck completely shut off and was flashing red at me to pull to the side of the road. I lost all power, the steering, gas, and everything was not working. I need to mention that I was in front of semi truck, a larger truck that cannot stop on a dime, so he had to swerve to miss me, as I did not have control of the truck. The slower truck went by me and there was a another pickup truck behind him, and there was a little bit of a gap between them, so I jerked the wheel over and drove into the ditch. It was absolutely frightening, and kind of switched something in my head that I was very close to causing a large crash and maybe a death, of myself or someone else. I was in the ditch and the truck would not start back up. Nothing worked. To add to that, I was in a spot of the mountains that I do not get cell phone service. So I popped the hood and just sat there trying to turn the ignition and start the vehicle. 30 minutes passed and I slammed the hood and got back inside the truck and this time the truck turned over, but it said it was running on electric only, and the check engine light was, so I was able to limp home which was about 30 miles away, driving 20-30 mph. It sent the codes to my phone and I contacted the dealer.

NHTSA ODI 11612646

Aug 5, 2024Transmission & drivetrainEngine

On 7/27/24 I was driving my 2023 Ford Maverick Hybrid with approximately 17,500 miles on the New York State Thruway @ approximately 70 mph. All of a sudden without warning the vehicle lost propulsion power. All types of warning lights appeared on the dashboard and the vehicle slowed down to 35mph. I could not control the acceleration or speed of the vehicle with the gas pedal. The vehicle stayed at 35 mph unless I applied the brakes. I was able to exit the interstate several miles down the road and have the vehicle towed to the nearest Ford dealer. This vehicle malfunction caused an extremely dangerous situation as I was almost rear ended several times by vehicles approaching from the rear that were not aware of my lack of ability to keep up with the flow of traffic. Ford repaired the vehicle 3 days later. When I was at the dealer picking up the car I was informed this is a very common problem with the Hybrid model. This needs to be corrected before someone is killed because of this common malfunction.

NHTSA ODI 11606399

Jul 9, 2024EngineFuel system

I have a 2023 For Maverick hybrid pickup. While driving on the highway at about 70-75 miles an hour, the engine abruptly shut off. I had to carefully make my way to the shoulder while cars zipped by. Scary and very unsafe. My wife was hysterical and does not want to ride in the truck anymore. Once stopped at shoulder, I turned the ignition to the off and on positions several times. The gas engine would not crank. Three or four messages scrolled on the screen: "Service engine immediately," "Pre-collision assist not available," and others I don't exactly remember. When I would turn the ignition to on, the electric engine would start but when I accelerated in Park, the gas engine did not accelerate, not did it work in Reverse, Neutral or Drive. I was able to limp off the highway about 30 miles and hour under what I presume was electric battery power with my hazard flashers on and park at a gas station. I had to have the truck towed to the dealer on a Saturday night at a cost of $400.00 and leave it for repairs. The Service Department told me the truck was not giving any error codes and they were trying to get further guidance from Ford. They required extensive driving and time to input and test Ford updates. The final result was that they were not able to verify any issues after performing additional PCM updates. I was advised they are all done and will deliver the truck tomorrow Wednesday. However, they still don't know what caused the power failure. I have seen numerous similar incidents being posted about on the Internet.

NHTSA ODI 11600644

Jul 1, 2024Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemEngine

[XXX]: Driving to work on the highway during rush hour. My vehicle started slowing down and wouldn't go out of neutral. The instrument panel lit up and the display panel brought up collision ahead. A lot of other codes and things popped up as well. I avoided being hit by a semi truck and was able to pull over to the shoulder. I turned my vehicle off and on. The vehicle went into drive and i to got it off the highway. It was in limp mode after that. I tried turning the vehicle off and on several times, and to no prevail. I called a tow truck to have them take it to the dealership. Keep in mind that this happened so fast and I was more worried about getting out of the way to avoid a collision. To hear that this is a recall is ridiculous. I drive with kids in the backseat, and I will never feel comfortable driving this vehicle again! I waited 9 months to get the maverick and I've had nothing but issues. Under 5k miles, I had a code pop up saying they detected air in the engine compartment. I was on the road trip to Canada at the time. I spent my vacation worrying if I was going to make it home. Luckily I did and it needed an "update". 2 other times, my left blinker failed. When it failed, my hazard lights would go off. Zumbrota ford "fixed" it the first time. Only for it to happen a month later. Zumbrota ford said they didn't know what the issue was, but they "fixed it". Now I had this even occur where the vehicle would go into neutral and limp mode. I'm not taking anymore chances, risking my life, driving this ford maverick. I've wasted so much time dealing with issue after issue and have missed several days of work. I just want a SAFE functioning vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11597972

Jun 15, 2024Transmission & drivetrainEngine

I was driving at 60-70 MPH on the highway and lost gas power. The electrical power in the hybrid motor continued working, but I was unable to accelerate or maintain full speed. IMPORTANT: I had this very thing repaired in accordance with a previous recall and an identical issue in January, approximately five months ago. I am reporting in case an additional recall and new software patch is needed.

NHTSA ODI 11594508

Jun 10, 2024EngineDriver assistanceCrash

I had an accident with sudden loss of power

NHTSA ODI 11593550

May 23, 2024Transmission & drivetrainEngineDriver assistance

Yesterday, May 22nd, my 2023 Hybrid Maverick stalled while I was in the middle lane. Fortunately I was able to quickly get over to the shoulder but had absolutely no power. The D-drive gear position light was blinking orange light. Warning message came up on the dash, saying the vehicle won't operate in that gear. I looked down and the shift wheel was in the drive position, but the orange light was not lit on the shifter. I then got error messages, Service Engine Soon Warning, Powertrain Malfunction/Reduced Power Warning, Pre-Collision Assist Not Available Warning. This was really rattling, to have a modern vehicle, with only 20,000 miles stop operating in heavy traffic. It is the second time, this incident happens. The last time was on March 25th.

NHTSA ODI 11590387

May 21, 2024Engine

My vehicle stopped while driving down the road. I received the following errors: Gear Selected Will Engage at Low Speed Powertrain malfunction/reduced power Pre-collision assist not available Service engine soon warning Service AdvanceTrac Hill assist not available I was able to pull my vehicle off the road and get it parked. After letting it sit, I was able to get my vehicle started with only an engine light error. I attempted to take my vehicle to Anderson Ford in Rockford and they were confrontational. I just wanted to leave my vehicle and get a loaner, but they wouldn't confirm an issue and told me to leave my vehicle and fend for myself. They must know there's an issue and they want nothing to do with fixing the issue. They were willing to put me at risk instead of trying to help.

NHTSA ODI 11589959

May 20, 2024Transmission & drivetrainSpeed controlEngine

On Friday, May 17th around 2:00pm I was driving approximately 25mph when I got an abrupt warning and the truck started to drive differently. I don’t think the vehicle was responding to the gas pedal normally. The first warning said something about selected gear engaging at lower speed. Then there was a message about the pre-collision assist not working, hill ascent not working, and something else - reduced powertrain/service engine soon/advancetrac or something like that. As I pulled over and was slowing down, the truck abruptly threw itself into park while going 5-10mph. I turned it off and then back on and put it in drive. The truck began accelerating without my foot on the gas pedal. My truck got all the way up past 20mph before I slowed down. I tried to record this with my phone as there was no traffic. I could not see well what I was filming because I was looking at the road. My safety was put at risk because had this happened on the highway or a road with no shoulder, things could have been a lot more dangerous. It was scary enough going at a lower speed on a street without traffic. I noticed after this happened that I had a third open recall for the powertrain control module. If I would have known I had this recall and how serious it was, I would have brought it in immediately. Ford should have done more to ensure vehicles impacted by this recall were contacted ASAP. I brought my truck in to the Ford dealership first thing this morning and I am waiting to hear back. The service agent was aware of this ‘limp mode’ situation occurring. I believe I was the first Maverick owner to bring a truck in for this issue at my dealership. There were no warnings that this might occur. I went from driving leisurely to having to figure out what all the beeping and flashing alerts were and manage to get to the side of the road in a truck that was not driving/responding normally. Then the truck started accelerating without my foot on the pedal! I have a video of this

NHTSA ODI 11589810

May 15, 2024Transmission & drivetrainSpeed controlEngine

[XXX] On [XXX] my wife and were traveling on [XXX] at interstate speeds and after traveling for about 55 minutes with no issues. The vehicle suddenly lost power and a lot of warning lights came on. We were unable to accelerate and quickly pulled to the shoulder. [XXX] is very busy and dangerous. It would not move forward while in drive and pushed on accelerator it would not accelerate. We called with Ford Pass for a tow. They towed it to Dickson TN Ford dealership and it is still there. They were to call us once they found out the issue. Been there now 6 days no call as yet from them . Very frustrating, vehicle with 16 K miles and only had a bit over a year and now more issues. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11588856

May 14, 2024Transmission & drivetrainEngineBackup camera & sensors

Vehicle put in drive, and upon accelerating, lost ability to accelerate while in drive, check engine indicator light turned on and power train warning prompts began flashing while moving avoiding traffic. I pulled over to the side of the road, put vehicle in park and turned off vehicle. Waited a minute, and turned vehicle back on, check engine indicator remained on, as well as power train warning prompt and Pre-Collision Warning Assist not available. Put vehicle in drive and could not accelerate normally, acceleration was delayed when I put my foot on the pedal. I removed my foot off of the accelerator and the vehicle then began to accelerate speed on it's own above 25mph. I then applied the brakes and pulled over again. This continued in the same pattern 2 more times, before I was able to drive the vehicle back to my house, with check engine lights and warning prompts on.

NHTSA ODI 11588697

May 6, 2024Speed controlEngine

Vehicle's engine suddenly cut out during driving ~15 mph. Multiple warning lights flashed. Vehicle ran on battery and was able to go at slow velocity but then transitioned to accelerating when pedal was not engaged. Hazard lights would shut off suddenly after driver turned them on. "Limp mode" is commonly used term for what happened.

NHTSA ODI 11587113

May 4, 2024Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemEngine

While driving on [XXX] [XXX] at approximately 9:15 PM vehicle suddenly lost power in the middle of traffic, couldn't keep speed (was driving roughly 70 mph) then started losing speed down to 30 mph although my foot was pressing the gas pedal to the floor. Warning lights came on, a message about being unable to engage a gear, loss of collision sensors and check battery, service engine light came on. Because I was on the truck and car portion of the highway (in further most left lane) I was nearly struck several times. Hazards were going on and off. When I made it to the shoulder I called FORD 24 hour service. I was on an out of town trip from PA to NYC a little more than halfway there. The rep told me Ford policy was to tow to the nearest dealership or within 50 miles, I'd have to cover the rest, quoted at $175 to take me to the dealership of origin & my home. By this time it was after 10:30. I was 49 miles from my destination so I asked for the closest dealership to that. Was charged $22.50 for 4 mile overage. Was NOT informed the tow service couldn't pick me up from the highway, rather was told I'd be texted with an eta, which came 10 minutes later with a 40-70 minute estimate. Then the tow company called to say I'd have to get state police to tow me off highway first, THEN call back with a pick up address. Not wanting to wait on the dangers shoulder ANOTHER 2 HOURS, I had to ride the shoulder with hazards on approximately 1 mile to get off highway. Car wasn't able to go past 30 mph and dropped as low as 10. The service center also gave tow driver wrong address (showroom not service) and tow driver dropped my car off in a tow zone once we found the service center. Disgusted with the lack of accountability and responsibilities, I wasn't safe until 2:30 AM. The next morning called service from hotel to beg for same day appointment as I was stranded, was almost sent home with a "few days or more" diagnostic estimate even after mentioning BCM recall news (no notice y INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11586914

May 3, 2024Electrical systemEngine

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Maverick. The contact stated that the vehicle would intermittently fail to start up after multiple attempts without warning. After jumpstarting the engine, the contact managed to drive the vehicle to a dealer where they updated the control module software. The contact was also advised by the dealer that if the failure persisted to continue jumpstarting the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.

NHTSA ODI 11586711

May 3, 2024Engine

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Maverick. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently went into LIMP Mode and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 15,000.

NHTSA ODI 11586765

Apr 30, 2024Transmission & drivetrainSpeed controlEngine

Approximately around [XXX] a.m, [XXX], I was on my way to on the [XXX] . I was going driving around 75-78 mph when all of sudden my 2023 Maverick drop in speed and power suddenly. I looked at my dashboard and saw mph dropped to around 50. I had no knowledge of what was taking place at the time. I tried to press my acceleration pedal and the mph still was dropping, so I managed to get over to the far right lane so I could get to the shoulder. During this event several warning lights flashed, such as check engine soon, crash assist not available, power train malfunction ect. I turned the vehicle off and back on - it still had the same messages- I managed to drive the 5-10miles I had left on my route to work @ 33mph. Once at safe location I contacted a tow truck to haul my vehicle to Hennessey Ford for diagnostic and answers. I've never had any of these issues to take place since owning my truck. Never experienced Loss of power ever in my life. This is truly a event that has left me stunned and wondering will this truly be taken care of and addressed. It's a constant reminder in my head and and it also has prompted me to thank God for my life as well as others because if I hadn't left home to go to work about 30mins earlier than normally due to the traffic which would be pretty thick I may not be here today to tell this story, because there was no warning whatsoever. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11586002

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Working with the data? Download all 262 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 18, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2023 Ford Maverick Later Release verdict →