Ford is mailing interim recall notices this week for 66,383 hybrid SUVs whose pedestrian warning sound can fail in electric mode. Some Lincoln Nautilus vehicles have a free dealer replacement available, while the broader remedy for other causes remains under development. Owners should treat the letter as an active safety notice, not as confirmation that every vehicle can already receive a complete fix.
The recall covers two hybrid SUV groups
NHTSA recall 26V415 includes 18,242 model-year 2025–2027 Ford Explorer hybrids and 48,141 model-year 2024–2027 Lincoln Nautilus hybrids equipped with the affected Phoenix audio architecture. Ford’s Part 573 safety report totals the population at 66,383 vehicles and says interim owner letters are expected from August 3 through August 7.
The problem can prevent the vehicle from producing the pedestrian alert sound while traveling below 30 kilometers per hour in electric mode. Quiet hybrids are required to emit that warning so people nearby can hear an approaching vehicle. A driver may see “Pedestrian Sounder Fault. Service Now” on the instrument panel, but Ford says the failure can occur randomly.
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Only one part of the remedy is ready
Owners of Nautilus hybrids with the 28-speaker system will be instructed to visit a Ford or Lincoln dealer for replacement of the digital signal processing module. Ford says there will be no charge. The replacement module uses updated software intended to reduce loss of the pedestrian warning sound.
That module issue does not explain every reported failure. Ford is also investigating a non-DSP factor that appears to affect all audio systems in the included Explorer and Nautilus hybrids. The report says remedy actions for that factor are still being developed, and a later remedy-letter schedule will be set when the fix is identified.
A VIN check is more reliable than model and year alone
The vehicles were not built in VIN order, so an owner should not assume that every hybrid Explorer or Nautilus in the listed model years is included. NHTSA’s VIN recall lookup and Ford’s dealer system can identify a specific vehicle. The federal report lists Ford’s recall number as 26S51.
A saved screenshot of the VIN result can help when scheduling service. If the lookup says the vehicle is included but no remedy is available, the owner can ask the dealer to record contact information for a later notice. The recall does not direct owners to stop driving or park outside; it addresses a pedestrian-warning function rather than a fire condition.
The investigation followed complaints after an earlier remedy
Ford had previously offered a software update under recall 25SA2. In February 2026 the company paused that remedy after complaints that some vehicles still lost the pedestrian alert. Engineers then identified a software issue in the 24-channel module on certain Nautilus vehicles and a separate communication-related condition that was not yet fully understood.
As of May 1, Ford knew of 65 warranty claims involving Nautilus hybrids and seven involving Explorer hybrids after the earlier campaign. The automaker reported no related accidents or injuries. That history explains why the new notice separates an available hardware replacement from the unfinished investigation rather than presenting one universal software update.
Owners should preserve free-repair rights
A recall repair should not be turned into a customer-paid diagnostic bill for the covered condition. Owners can bring the notice, VIN result and any dashboard warning photograph to the appointment. A driver who experiences the failure can also use NHTSA’s safety-problem reporting page, while the federal VIN page provides the recall check.
The operative schedule is the August 3–7 interim mailing window in the NHTSA report. It confirms that letters are arriving now and that services will be free, but it also states that the full non-DSP remedy is not finished. Owners receiving an interim letter should keep it until Ford issues the later remedy notice.
Because the missing sound affects people outside the vehicle, drivers should be especially cautious at parking-lot speeds, near crosswalks and when backing in areas with pedestrians. The report does not prescribe a temporary owner repair, and an ordinary stereo setting is not a substitute for the federally required alert system.
NHTSA’s report separates what is known from what is pending: 72 warranty claims were identified, no related crash or injury was known, and additional corrective actions were still under development. That combination supports prompt VIN checking without suggesting that every included vehicle has already failed.
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by a human editor. Figures are linked to their primary sources; where a claim could not be verified from the public record, we say so.
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