2025 Automotive Recalls in Focus: Engine Block Heater Defects Drive Major Safety Actions Across Industry

The automotive industry faced significant safety challenges in 2025, with multiple manufacturers issuing major recalls affecting hundreds of thousands of vehicles. Ford Motor Company led the recall surge with 119,075 vehicles affected by an engine block heater defect—a critical safety issue that highlights growing concerns over component failures across the sector. This comprehensive overview examines the major recalls and their implications for vehicle owners.

Engine Block Heater Defect: Ford’s Largest Single Recall Action

Ford’s recall involves a potentially serious flaw in the engine block heater that can lead to coolant leakage and electrical short circuits. When the heater is plugged into a power source, the cracked block heater poses an elevated fire risk, creating immediate safety concerns for owners. The defect impacts select 2016-2018 Focus models, 2019 and 2024 Explorer variants, as well as specific 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 Lincoln MKC vehicles.

Vehicle owners have been advised to discontinue using the engine block heater until repairs are completed. Dealers will replace the faulty units at no cost, with notification letters beginning distribution on February 13, 2026. This recall represents one component of Ford’s unprecedented recall activity in 2025, when the company issued 152 total safety actions—more than any other automaker in a single year, surpassing longstanding industry records and reflecting persistent quality control challenges.

Recall Comparison Table: Key Defects Across Major Manufacturers

Wider Industry Safety Trends: Beyond Engine Block Issues

Beyond the engine block heater crisis, the recall landscape revealed systemic concerns affecting vehicle safety systems. Ford’s December 2025 recall of over 272,000 hybrid and electric vehicles addressed a software flaw in the Integrated Parking Module that could fail to lock vehicles into park position, creating rollaway hazards. This affected 2022-2026 F-150 Lightning, 2024-2026 Mustang Mach-E, and 2025-2026 Maverick models.

Rivian Automotive issued a separate recall for 19,641 R1 vehicles in January 2026, addressing rear suspension toe link issues stemming from improper reassembly during prior service work. The recall targeted 7,031 R1S SUVs and 12,610 R1T pickup trucks from 2022-2025 model years that underwent rear suspension servicing between April 1, 2022, and March 10, 2025. Honda Motor Company reported a recall affecting 406,290 vehicles due to potential aluminum alloy wheel detachment on select 2016-2021 Civic models.

What Vehicle Owners Should Know

All affected vehicle owners are encouraged to monitor official communications from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and their vehicle manufacturers. For Ford’s engine block heater recall, owners should immediately discontinue heater use and await repair notifications. Repairs are performed at authorized dealers at no cost, with timeline details provided in official recall letters. Owners of Rivian and Honda vehicles should similarly check recall status through NHTSA’s official database to determine if their specific vehicle serial numbers and service history qualify for included safety actions.

The 2025 recall surge underscores ongoing quality challenges in automotive manufacturing, from engine block heater defects to electrical and mechanical systems, affecting millions of vehicles across multiple model years and product lines.