Owners have filed 31 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the electrical, transmission, and brakes. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2025Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2025 Ford Maverick: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/3
Engine off, key in hand0/2
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/1
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/3
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
Nearby years usually share most parts, so their problems are worth checking on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2025 Ford Maverick. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cylGas | 4WD | 24–25 mpg |
| 2.5L 4-cylHybrid | FWD, 4WD | 37–38 mpg |
NHTSA complaints for the 2025 Ford Maverick, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Sudden loss of power is the main pattern. Drivers describe a high-voltage warning and a "Pull off road when safe" message on the freeway, then the engine cuts out. Some trucks will not start after being shut off and sometimes run again after a jump. One report describes a fire that started under the parked truck near the front passenger side and spread to a nearby car and the home. Other complaints cite an intermittent "pre-collision assist not available" warning and a backup camera image that freezes in reverse. Dealer software updates have not always fixed the problem.
Rough cold-start shifting and sudden power loss lead these reports. The 8F-35 automatic hesitates to engage or flares on the 1-2 upshift during the first drive of the day, and a dealer reported finding no problem. A "Shift System Fault" can leave the truck unable to move and in need of a tow. One hybrid AWD report describes a burning odor, a loud whirring noise, and power loss at freeway speed. Grade assist braking cannot be turned off and is also blamed for abrupt downhill slowing with no brake lights, which raises the risk of being rear-ended.
Two of the three complaints describe brakes failing at low speed, and both involve crashes. Drivers press the pedal while backing out, turning in a parking lot, or approaching a stop sign, and the truck keeps moving or surges forward with no warning lights. One case began at 107 miles. A separate report involves flat towing in Neutral Tow Mode. At 55 mph the truck started dragging its tires, then showed an "Electronic Parking Brake needs servicing" message.
Pre-collision assist dropping out is the most common report. The system turns off and reports a blocked camera even though the windshield is clean, sometimes within the first few days of ownership. In one case a dealer software update and reset helped only for a while. A more serious complaint describes adaptive cruise control speeding up on its own on an open road with no traffic, climbing 10 to 20 mph above the set speed until the driver brakes.
The main concern is a driver front airbag that did not deploy in a crash. The truck was totaled, and the seatbelt tightened hard enough to cause chest pain that needed an X-ray. The owner says Ford has not responded. The second complaint does not describe a failure. It lists open recalls for securing the passenger airbag disable indicator lamp to the instrument bezel and for replacing the block heater element.
Water getting in through the HVAC system is the clearer problem. In heavy rain the cabin air filter fills with water, water drips onto the passenger floor, and humid air from the vents weakens defrosting. A dealer could not reproduce the problem and did not document it. The other complaint describes a stress crack running along the top of the windshield from one corner to the other. Neither report involves a crash.
The pattern is a rearview camera that freezes or stops working. One truck lost the camera and related control features at about 349 miles. Several dealers diagnosed a software failure and said no remedy was available. The other report concerns a 2024 truck. Its camera display froze while reversing at about 8,000 miles, several weeks after the recall repair for campaign 24V684000. Neither report involves a crash, but a frozen image can hide obstacles behind the truck.
Electric power steering can cut out without warning, which makes the truck very hard to steer. One truck showed an electric steering fault at about 1,200 miles and again at about 4,800 miles. The dealer found a stored code but no electrical or mechanical fault. Turning the ignition off and on restores assist, and no software fix was available. Another new truck lost power steering after 3 days, along with traction control and hill start assist, and flagged the forward camera.
Excerpts from complaints Maverick owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
Truck has total loss of power after stopping the truck and turning it off. Leaves you stranded. Some times jumping the truck it will run. Truck has only 14k miles.
Filed with NHTSA, August 2025
The backup camera image froze while in reverse motion. I noticed the image froze and deferred to my mirrors but had I not noticed the freeze I could have hit something. This has happened twice in five months of ownership.
Filed with NHTSA, May 2025
I had my car running while I ran into the store, when I got back in the car I had a “Shift System Fault” error and I could not move my car. I had to have Ford Tow the truck back to its dealership. It is currently at the Ford dealership getting repaired
Filed with NHTSA, November 2025
Pre-collision system became unavailable. System reported camera obstruction, but windshield was clear. Similar to issues in August 2025. August issue was temporary fixed via software update and reset at dealership. Suspect recurring software or physical issue with safety equipment.
Filed with NHTSA, November 2025
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2025 has the fewest owner complaints of the 4 Maverick years we cover, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Recall repairs are free at any Ford dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Maverick vehicles. The instrument panel cover may separate when the air bag deploy.
Risk: An instrument panel cover separation can cause pieces of the cover to strike occupants, increasing the risk injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the instrument panel cover, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters explaining the safety risk were mailed January 28, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated February 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SE7. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 19, 2025.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2026 F-150 Lightning BEV, 2024-2026 Mustang Mach-E, and 2025-2026 Maverick vehicles. The integrated park module may fail to lock into the park position when the driver shifts into park. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention.".
Risk: A loss of park function can allow the vehicle to rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: The park module software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 3, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C69. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning January 26, 2026.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer, Mustang, Lincoln Corsair, and 2025 Maverick vehicles. The cylinder head may have been improperly manufactured, which can cause the ball plugs to fail, resulting in an oil leak.
Risk: An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components increases the risk of a fire. In addition, the loss of oil can result in engine seizure and loss of motive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the cylinder head assembly, free of charge. All affected vehicles are still within dealership inventory and therefore no owner notification letters will be mailed. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SD3. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 24, 2025.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Maverick and Escape vehicles. The cover for the electric brake booster's ECU may cause the printed circuit board to overheat and result in a loss of vehicle stability control systems (anti-lock braking, electronic stability control, and traction control) or a loss of brake power assist.
Risk: Loss of vehicle stability control or brake power assist can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the electric brake booster, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on November 28, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SC6. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 17, 2025.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Lincoln Nautilus, 2023-2025 Escape, 2023 Lincoln Corsair, 2025 Lincoln Corsair, Maverick, and Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L or 2.0L MPC engine and an engine block heater. The engine block heater may overheat when the vehicle is parked with the block heater plugged in.
Risk: An overheated engine block heater can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the block heater element and inspect the electrical cord, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug coupled, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 11, 2025. A second notice will be sent once the final remedy is available. The parts are anticipated to be available the fourth quarter of 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S52.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Maverick vehicles. The air bag indicator light on the dashboard may be loose or dislodged, and not visible to occupants. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection.".
Risk: The air bag indicator light may fail to warn occupants of a deactivated air bag, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will install air bag indicator light retaining clips, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 24, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C17.
Cars shoppers compare with the Ford Maverick, with their own 2025 checklists.
2025 owner complaints, side by side
