Ford Motor Company: Structure › Body
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Jul 14, 2026 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 288,314. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Explorer vehicles. The roof rail covers may come loose and detach from the vehicle.
The risk
A detached roof rail cover can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect the roof rail covers and as necessary, repair or replace the push-pins, rail clips, or roof rail covers, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed August 28, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in January 2027. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S54. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 21V316. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 16, 2026.
4 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Ford Explorer | 300 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| 2018 Ford Explorer | 734 | 7 | 7 | 16 |
| 2017 Ford Explorer | 1,704 | 14 | 11 | 34 |
| 2016 Ford Explorer | 2,465 | 15 | 14 | 39 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 26V448000.
Full record for the 2019 Ford Explorer → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →