NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2023 Ford Maverick. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
Vehicle loses communication between control modules & goes into a limp-home mode. Has happed 3 times when doing highway speed driving on cruise control. Lots of alarms are posted including forward collision warning, emergency braking & traction control not working. Check Engine Light lights. Vehicle power is shutdown to low level. There is loss of throttle response. I pulled over to side of road because display messaging said that it wants to shift gear but must wait until vehicle slows. When slowing to near a stop, but still going 1-2mph (estimate), the vehicle slammed into park & put the Parking Brake on. I can acknowledge warning messages, take Parking Brake off, & select Drive. Then vehicle tries to move at 35mph of its own & w/o any throttle input. In fact, the throttle is unresponsive in this mode. The electric traction motor and/or engine will try to maintain 35mph -- forward or REVERSE -- &will apply power as needed to sustain that speed. Thankfully, the braking power will overcome the powertrain drive power & I can stop. The communication issue has happened to a couple other Maverick vehicles in the country, but I don't know whether they've experienced the vehicle trying to go 35mph on its own w/o any throttle input. This going 35mph in limp-home mode -- in forward and in reverse, and w/o any throttle input -- is a horrible fail-safe response & seems very unsafe to me. It is hard to gently back into a parking spot. Losing power while driving because of the whole communication failure is very unsafe: I might need to finish a pass on a 2-way highway and would need power for that; I might need to throttle out of a situation; or, as has happened 3 times to me, I suddenly lose power on an interstate highway where traffic regularly is going between 65 -80mph. This could leave me getting rear ended because my vehicle slows w/o brakes applied so other drivers have no warning. These incidences occurred after 23C41 / 23V848 safety recall service.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Maverick. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced the failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Maverick. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced the failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
I have owned my 2023 Ford Maverick for, coming up on 14 months. It's been well taken care of it, serviced every 2-3 months, and not driven hard or abused. Last month the engine shuts off as the truck is parked in a gym parking lot. My FordApp was reading a powertrain malfunction. The truck gets towed to the dealership for servicing. Their go-to fix for the error code is to replace a module for the hybrid battery. After doing so the truck broke down a second time 2 minutes after starting up. A Ford engineer looked into it and decided the solution would be to remove the module/hybrid battery? and install high-voltage harnesses into the vehicle and then reinstall everything into those high-voltage harnesses. Parts are ordered; a full week and 40 hours of labor later, they start the truck and it shuts off again 2 minutes later, sending the same error code. A field engineer is sent out, and he now is recommending an entirely new transmission be installed. Parts are ordered and an eta of 2 weeks has been given for this repair to be made. A 14-month-old, brand-new truck has been in the dealership shop for 4 full weeks and is expected 2 more weeks for this selected repair. The truck could have broken down anywhere, at anytime! Who knows if you could have been driving or in a bad area... The high voltage harnesses also worry me because of lithium batteries already having a history as a fire risk, and now this sounds like it can increase the electrical flow capacity. Seriously concerning, especially as it seems there is not a concrete fix and they're trying multiple different repairs.
- Lithium Battery risk- "deep sleep" vehicle goes into deep sleep and is dark, no interior lights. SSM 51725 was performed - what it accomplished was removing the APP notification of deep sleep, not the problem. There are numerous similar complaints on the "Maverick forum", usually with the recommendation to "drive more", initially a poor battery connection was thought to be the problem, that has been resolved. The battery has been tested and been to be found in compliance - the issue is not the starting capacity but in the reserve capacity or the battery management system. Some are AGM some are flooded the risk is hybrid owners are carrying battery jump boxes for safety and reliability, OEM battery replacement is a struggle at the dealership, once deep sleep issues hit, battery issues change to not starting. The danger is that the owner is using a portable jump box in risky situations plus the always risk of carrying an additional lithum battery in the passenger compartment for reliability. Many owners have replaced the original battery, out of pocket, with good results
The contact called on behalf of his company that owns a 2023 Ford Maverick. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Camera freezes when I'm in reverse. Backed up in to a telephone pole last year and had several thousand dollars in damage. Paid the deductible, my rates went up and my cars value went down. Was backing out of parking space yesterday and almost hit a small child when it froze again. Ford needs to fix this issue that they have known about for ahwile.
Daughter is [XXX], driving Maverick to Breakfast, got two blocks away and tried to stop for a traffic light, you can hear on the dash cam when airbags deployed the collision operator came on the line and daughter saying, "I tried to stop but the brakes didn't work", the dash cam has sound and showed she was going 23 mph when accident happened. She T boned a car in the intersection. When the Maverick was taken to collision body shop, the estimator said, this is the second Maverick, the First one "Rear Ended another vehicle". I don't trust this vehicle even if the body is repaired. Files Docs and Photos will not upload. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Maverick. The contact stated while driving at slow speeds, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to stop immediately. The contact firmly depressed the brake pedal and was able to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Maverick. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the Lane Departure feature malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to erroneously steer outside the driving lane and lines. Additionally, after locking the vehicle, it was discovered that only the front driver’s side door had locked, and other doors remained unlocked. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 100.
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
The brake system in Hybrid model Ford Mavericks is unreliable and inconsistent in the way it applies the brakes at slow speeds, causing the driver to over or under apply the brakes and making the vehicle unsafe and unpredictable. My 2023 model braked normally for the first 6 months of ownership and then started to grab at slow speeds when attempting to use the brakes. When coming to a stop it will grab suddenly. It is extremely challenging to drive in stop and go traffic. Ford has issued a software fix, TSB23-2060, the second one they've issued. Neither fix has solved the issue. I often under apply the brakes in anticipation of the brakes grabbing and then have to overapply at the last moment to compensate. It really is unsafe and needs to be fixed. I hope the NHTSA can force the issue.
When turning the vehicle on one morning the the speakers started to emit an ear-piercing sound. This sound continued even after turning the vehicle off, it would not go away. We had to hastly remove the battery to stop the ear-piercing sound. This seems to be an ongoing problem that Ford refuses to fix with other models. I have had to make an appointment with an ENT specialist because of the ringing sound it has caused in my ears.
Dealership confirms CV joints on my new 2023 Maverick are spewing out grease with violent vibration while driving. Was able to safely pull over before vibration became worse. No prior warning prior to or during axle failure. Vehicle is still at the dealership awaiting parts that are apparently on backlog. Upon further research I found that I am one of many Maverick owners experiencing premature failure of CV joints.
Traveling 350 miles for work, my Maverick was at 2400 miles when both of my front cv boots were spewing grease all over the underside of the truck, stranding me away from home. The truck would shake violently when accelerating to the point I had to pull over. With all the destruction on the underside of the truck, the local dealer (not preferred) informed me that “they didn’t know who or when” but a missing clamp on one side and a torn boot on the other and denied me from claiming my warranty at 2400 miles. There were no warning lights on the dash at any time.
Brakes tend to "grab" and aggressively stop the truck at or below 6 miles per hour. It feels like the emergency forward braking system is activating to avoid an accident. But there isn't anything in front of the vehicle. This seems to occur more often during first 15 minutes of driving after startup in the morning (especially when it's cold outside) while vehicle is utilizing motor and braking to recharge batteries. During this timeframe, the brake "grabbing" is more frequent and more pronounced (powerful and sudden). It's like two systems are "fighting" against one-another. But the brake grabbing isn't just occurring during the first 15 minutes of driving. It still occurs occasionally regardless of the time driving the vehicle. I've attempted to "conform" and "adapt" my braking to address the brake grabbing tendency. But the issue isn't doesn't always occur with each braking and the manner in which the braking system brakes thus making it almost impossible for me to "train" my braking to address or overcome the braking characteristics of the hybrid Maverick. I've had to accept that regardless of how I brake, the vehicle is going to "grab" occasionally.
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.
Frost INSIDE windshield on 2023 Maverick. No frost on the outside of windshield. Frost not in the 2 other vehicles parked in the same location. Available for inspection, must be cold enough weather. Cannot see to drive, never had a vehicle needing only the inside of the windsheild scrapped. Experienced here 2nd day in a row, as the weather conditions have become cold enough. Not inspected by others. No messages, or warning lights.
My driver side door hinge has a broken spot weld and has come unattached from the door and it goes inside and blocks the power window from coming down when the door is closed. Ford has had these breaking hinge problems since 2019. I took it to the Ford dealership for them to look at the problem and they want me to pay for it. I have attached pictures. As of October 2023, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating a potential defect in the front door weld of the 2020 and 2021 Ford Escape and its hybrid variant. This defect could cause the door to open unexpectedly while the vehicle is moving, which is a significant safety risk. Some owners have reported a popping noise followed by the door opening, while others have reported their doors not opening at all after a creaking noise. Some owners have also reported being unable to close the vehicle after the door opens. If the issue requires a recall, it could affect up to 346,071 vehicles.
Turned the corner to accelerate at normal speed up a slight incline, and gas pedal stopped working. Typically when accelerating up a hill, the gauge on the left will move past the green "battery" section and the engine will kick on, but this time nothing happened. The vehicle slowed to a stop, and I put in park, then put in drive again and it worked seemingly fine. No check engine or any other warning lights were on. This issue has been experienced by several people in the Ford Maverick Hybrid online forum, so I'm not alone. I'm concerned that if this happens when turning onto a road, or merging onto a highway, it could be very dangerous.
I have an issue where my Ford Maverick sometimes, randomly will be nudging, surging, or pulsing forward (I'm not sure how to describe it) despite your foot being on the brake. It occurs most often on cold mornings, when you first start the truck, have your foot on the brake and shift from park to drive, before you release the brake (take your foot off the pedal) you notice the truck is going: bump bump bump bump bump, like a forward nudge push forward. Even though this has mostly occurred first thing in the morning it has occurred at other times while stopped at a red light, stopped in front of a pedestrian crosswalk, and stopped in front of school + children. It's really concerning the despite having your foot on the brake the truck is still trying to lurch forward.
I have had this issue since I got my Ford Maverick. The brakes are very abrupt and grabby at slow speeds and it makes the vehicle extremely difficult and unsafe to operate in pick up lanes, parking lots, stop and go traffic and many more situations. I had a service appointment where ford updated modules in the truck however, still have the problem where trying to use the brakes on this truck, is always a very abrupt bump to a stop. When you're gradually & smoothly decelerating to a stop, near the last moment you get a very abrupt bump, lurch forward, jerk to a stop. It's as if the hybrid truck does not transition from regenerative braking to pad on rotor well.
This morning I was driving to work (65mph cruise control, 45 degrees F outside, heated seats ON), out of nowhere I felt myself slowing down right after I went over a railroad track (pretty decent bump) on the highway. As I was slowing down I noticed that my cruise control had turned itself off and when trying to turn it back on (pressing set+, set-, and the toggle CC on/off button) it wasn't responding. After realizing that setting my cruise control wasn't working I tried accelerating on my gas pedal but nothing was happening and I was still slowing down. I tried again and noticed that when I accelerated, the needle on the left side gauge wasn't going past the green battery section even when accelerating harder than normal. Everything in the vehicle seemed to be working properly as far as power steering, lights, breaking, dashboard, etc. Eventually I pulled over to the side of the road, put it in park, put it back in drive, and everything was fine for another 70 miles on the day.
When slowly coming to a stop, the brakes will engage on their own, causing a much faster/harsher stop, which feels unsafe. This happens every day, a few times per trip.
Six month old Vehicle has failed to start twice in the last 3 days. The dealership looked at the vehicle but didn’t isolate a problem for repair. Fear is that the electrical system will shut down while driving and will lose control of the vehicle in traffic. OR will stop in a dangerous situation hazardous to me or other motorists. This has happened twice in the last 3 days.
Driver seat belt does not securely latch into the buckle, just falls out after seat belt is inserted. Vehicle was brought to Vista Ford in Woodland Hills, California and inspected by service advisor. They are too busy today and scheduled an appointment for later in the week to come back. Meanwhile I am driving without a functioning seatbelt.
Water getting inside the cabin near a fuse box. Mold passenger side carpets and underlayer.
2023 Ford Maverick’s rear windshield shattered. No reasonable explanation for that to happen. Could have caused personal injury to driver or passengers. Reported it to both dealer and Ford customer service representative. Ford Case Number is 454-673-63. Called State Farm insurance to notify them. Vehicle was in garage and the glass must have shattered sometime in the middle of the night.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Maverick. The contact stated that the strong odor of mold and mildew was present inside and outside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed the contact that the failure was caused by faulty floor pan body plugs which were improperly sealed causing water to intrude into the floorboard of the vehicle and causing mold and mildew to develop inside the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 900.
Windshield chip at day 4 of ownership, full on crack requiring replacement week 4 of ownership. Windshields are clearly subpar, owners on 3rd and 4th replacement windshields already. Dont know if it's the glass or the vehicle design, but there's a problem here.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Maverick. The contact stated that upon turning off the vehicle, the vehicle immediately entered Deep Sleep mode. The contact stated that after entering Sleep Mode, the electronics in the vehicle failed to function properly. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 1,700.
The brakes on my 2023 Ford Maverick (Hybrid) are very grabby at low speeds, usually just before coming to a stop. They are also very noisy especially after a hard rain. I have experienced one incident where the brakes did not want to stop the truck until after a long pause. When I stop, my passengers will lunge forward. I do not have confidence that the brakes will perform as required in an emergency situation. I realize that this has been an ongoing problem with the 2022 and 2023 hybrid models.
The truck shudders when turning off the ICE and switching to electric. It has progressively gotten worse since around 5000 miles. Group research on online forums suggests this is the damper on the flywheel. Because it's progressively getting worse, even at 8000 miles, I am concerned it will leave me stranded when the whole transmission blows apart. It makes an awful noise that sounds like grinding when the shuddering occurs. It does not happen every time the engine turns off, but the entire transition between electric and ICE is extremely rough.
Vehicle will not accelerate faster after stopping. Runs at less than 5 mph for 3-4 minutes and will accelerate afterwards. If stop again it will continue stalling during acceleration. Very unsafe in traffic. Rear end collision would take place as the driver id that vehicle is not aware of the stalling.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Maverick. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the taillight detached from the taillight housing. The contact stated that the taillights were set a quarter of an inch away from the housing and when the vehicle was driven over a bump, the taillights detached from the housing. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under recall repair or special program. The vehicle was not repaired or inspected by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and two cases were filed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 200.
We were traveling across the country from CA, MN , KY, WV, VA, PA, NY, MN, WY, ID, NV. CA. 21 July 2023. RR passenger window rolled down and will not roll up -taken to Greenbrier Ford in Lewisburg,WV. They verified “RRWindow won’t roll up. Took door panel apart & tested for power. Both wires going to up circuit & down circuit for RR window gets 12V, either way you push or pull switch. Should only get power one way. Unsure of cause. Will need further diag. Got window to roll up.” 24 July 2023. RR passenger door lock stopped working/stopped functioning. RR door would not lock when key pushed. 29 July 2023 . Dome light/running lights/headlights stopped working. they then would function intermittently. 1 Aug 2023. Took truck to Kimber Lake Ford in Pine River MN. Had Oil changed. They checked for computer codes but nothing came up. They suspected it might be the central computer. Didn’t have time to do more than that. 11 August -bluetooth connection malfunctioned. could not get a plugged in phone synch with music or phone calls. 11 August. called Folsom Lake Ford for appt on 24 August. .
Engine shudders when switching from gas to electric mode. The sound is terrible and only started recently. The 2022 model apparently has the same problem. Sounds like running over a rumble strip. Concerned it may shut off while driving or otherwise. Happens at idle and while driving.
Water is leaking into the vehicle from the windshield cowl causing mold and wet passenger front carpets. It will be going to the dealer for the third time on Tuesday, December 26th to attempt to fix. The vehicle smells of mold and may be a health hazard. I cannot park it outside without fear the problem will get worse.
The backseat middle seat sensor goes off despite nothing being in any of my backseats.
Whenever I press the brake pedal the brakes GRAB. It is not smooth, and is very uncomfortable, and even dangerous!
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.
The 12 volt battery keeps going dead or puts the car in to sleep mode. Ive been to the dealers 7 times and they have replaced the battery twice . I only have 14000 miles on it. this has been going on for most of the time i have had it. there is no safety issue at this time, it just wont start.
Driving 55-60mph, engine dies, power steering is lost, no throttle response, brake system failure messages every 500-1000ft of driving at any speeds. Battery terminal melted, wiring harness needs to be replaced to junction box with upgraded part. Model : 2023 Lariat Maverick Miles: 1030 Colors: Area 51/desert brown Luxury package Rumble strips saved my life.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Maverick. The contact stated while driving 80 MPH, the transmission inadvertently shifted into neutral(N) and the vehicle lost motive power. Additionally, the instrument panel lights flickered. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,500.
When I am driving my car and the car goes from the gas engine to the electric engine (at slow speeds. Usually under 40mph) the steering wheel and car will shack or vibrate. Sometimes really violently or sometimes just a little. Now my car makes a really bad rattling sound like metal is bouncing around. Ford saids it’s normal. I have driven other hybrid and never experienced this to this extent. It was scary at first. I thought something happened to my car or I hit something.
I was the driver in a 30 MPH collision. The driver's knee airbag deployed but the main passenger and driver airbags did not function.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Maverick. The contact there was a leak on the floor of the vehicle from underneath the windshield on the passenger’s side. The contact stated that there was mold forming underneath the floor mats. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the cabin air filter was fractured and caused a leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the failure was a known issue; however, the repair was not covered under warranty or a recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 37,000.
Dead battery
The brakes sporatically cause you to jerk to a stop when you are all almost completely stop (under 5MPH). This is a dangerous issue when in heavy commuter traffic as the following vehicle may not be prepared for what is a complete emergency stop while other traffic continues to flow at slow speeds. Ford has released numerous TSBs to fix this issue but none of them have truly fixed the problem.
Brakes of 2023 Ford Maverick Hybrid are grabby when attempting to slow down to below 6-10 mph , especially when the roads are wet. Even with slight wetness on the ground, the brakes behave like this, leading to unpredictable stops and jumping of vehicle in common scenarios such as drive-thrus, stop-and-go traffic, and parking lots. Local Ford dealer attempted to replicate the issue when it was sunny and dry and was unable to do so. As such, they refuse to do any further testing and are saying that "this is how the hybrids are". I will visit the dealer again when it is rainy.