Ford Motor Company has filed a recall, assigned NHTSA campaign number 26V340000, covering certain 2021-2026 Bronco Sport and 2022-2026 Maverick vehicles. According to the recall record posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the front lower control arm ball joints on the affected vehicles may have been incorrectly installed or incorrectly repaired at the vehicle assembly plant. The defect described is mechanical and structural rather than electronic, and it sits in a part of the front suspension that connects the control arm to the steering knuckle at each front wheel.

The component listed on the record is "SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT." In a front suspension, the lower control arm locates the wheel and absorbs road loads, while the ball joint provides the pivoting connection that lets the wheel steer and travel up and down. Ford's summary states that an improper installation or repair of that ball joint can allow the control arm to come apart from the front wheel knuckle. The recall was reported to NHTSA on May 27, 2026, and Ford's internal number for the campaign is 26S36.

"A detached control arm can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash."— NHTSA recall 26V340000, source

That single sentence is the consequence Ford disclosed on the federal record, and it is why this campaign carries a do-not-drive instruction. The remedy text on the NHTSA record states that owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is completed. That advisory is a stronger step than a routine recall, in which owners are told to schedule service at their convenience. Here the record frames the suspension as a part that can separate while the vehicle is in motion, and the loss-of-control language follows directly from the possibility of a wheel assembly detaching.

What the remedy record says

According to the recall, dealers will inspect and repair the front lower control arm ball joints as necessary, free of charge. The record distinguishes between two mailings. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 4, 2026. Those interim letters are the notice that the recall exists and that the do-not-drive advisory applies; they precede the availability of the full remedy. The record states that additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, which is the standard pattern when a manufacturer opens a campaign before parts or a final repair procedure are in place for every affected vehicle.

The record also notes that the Vehicle Identification Numbers involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 29, 2026. That date matters for owners because a VIN lookup is the way to confirm whether a specific Bronco Sport or Maverick is included, rather than relying on the model-year range alone. Owners are directed to contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 and to reference Ford's recall number 26S36.

Who is covered and how to read the scope

The model-year ranges on the record are 2021 through 2026 for the Bronco Sport and 2022 through 2026 for the Maverick. Both are unibody vehicles built on Ford's smaller front-drive-based platform, and both share front suspension hardware, which is consistent with a single campaign covering the two nameplates. The record attributes the root cause to incorrect installation or incorrect repair at the assembly plant, language that points to an assembly-process or service-process issue rather than a design flaw in the part itself. That distinction is reflected in the remedy, which is an inspection-and-repair-as-necessary procedure: not every vehicle in the population is expected to have the condition, but the campaign covers the full range because the affected units cannot be identified without inspection.

For owners following the campaign, the operative facts on the federal record are these: the affected vehicles are 2021-2026 Bronco Sport and 2022-2026 Maverick models; the issue is the front lower control arm ball joint and the possibility that the control arm disconnects from the front wheel knuckle; the disclosed consequence is a possible loss of vehicle control; the advisory is not to drive the vehicle until the remedy is completed; and the repair is to be performed by dealers free of charge. Ford reported the campaign to NHTSA on May 27, 2026, mailed interim notification letters on June 4, 2026, and made the affected VINs searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 29, 2026.

As with any recall, the authoritative source is the campaign record itself, which NHTSA maintains and updates as the remedy becomes available. The number to use when checking a specific vehicle is the campaign identifier, 26V340000, or Ford's internal reference, 26S36. The record does not list a final remedy availability date, and it states that additional owner letters will follow once the remedy is in place.

Why the suspension location matters

The reason this campaign reads as a do-not-drive event rather than a routine service notice comes down to where the part sits in the vehicle. The lower ball joint is a single pivot point that carries the connection between the control arm and the steering knuckle at the front wheel. Both the Bronco Sport and the Maverick steer and carry load through that joint on each side of the front axle. The record's description of the failure — the control arm disconnecting from the front wheel knuckle — describes a separation at exactly that pivot, which is why Ford's disclosed consequence is a possible loss of vehicle control rather than a warning light or a degraded-handling complaint.

The recall also illustrates how a manufacturing or service process, rather than a part design, can drive a campaign. Ford's summary attributes the condition to ball joints that may have been incorrectly installed or incorrectly repaired at the assembly plant. That framing is why the remedy is structured as an inspection with repair as necessary: the population is defined by the vehicles that passed through the affected process, and the actual repair is performed only where the inspection finds the condition. It also explains the two-stage notification — an interim letter to convey the do-not-drive advisory immediately, followed by a remedy letter once the inspection-and-repair procedure and any required parts are confirmed across the affected range.

Owners who want to act on the recall have two reliable reference points on the federal record: the campaign identifier 26V340000, used in any NHTSA recall lookup, and Ford's internal number 26S36, used when contacting Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. A VIN search on NHTSA.gov — available for the affected vehicles since May 29, 2026 — confirms whether a specific Bronco Sport or Maverick falls within the campaign, which is the step the record points owners toward before scheduling the free dealer inspection.