Ford Australia recalls 1218 Mustang Mach-E SUVs over rear quarter-window seal defect

The latest recall: rear quarter glass trim moulding

Ford Australia is recalling 1218 examples of the Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV due to a manufacturing defect affecting the rear quarter-window seal. According to the recall notice, the rear quarter glass trim moulding may detach from the vehicle while driving, which could allow the glass to detach from the window frame. ¹²

The notice warns that if the rear quarter glass trim moulding detaches from the vehicle while driving, it could increase the risk of an accident, causing serious injury or death to other road users and bystanders. All 1218 affected vehicles were produced in 2023, and a Vehicle Identification Number list has been published with the recall notice. ¹

Owners of affected vehicles will be contacted in writing by Ford, requesting they contact an authorised Ford dealer to arrange an inspection and repair, free of charge. Concerned owners can also contact the Ford Customer Relationship Centre on 13 36 73. The story was reported by CarExpert on 29 September 2026 and republished by 7NEWS. ¹²

Fourth Mach-E recall of 2026, with a conflicting account of the February campaign

CarExpert reports this is the fourth product safety recall for the Mach-E in Australia this year, following a recall in February to fix the vehicle's dashboard instrumentation and a July recall addressing the model's advanced driver-assistance systems, which also extended to the Ford Transit Custom and Transit commercial vans. An additional recall was issued on 23 July for rear-wheel drive Mach-E vehicles produced between 2021 and 2023, due to a differential fault which could see the cars lose drive. ¹

There is a discrepancy in the reporting of the February 2026 campaign. CarExpert's September article describes it as fixing the Mach-E's dashboard instrumentation, but a separate CarExpert article from 10 February 2026 reports that 166 Mach-Es built between 2024 and 2025 were recalled because a potential fault in the LED Driver Control Module could cause high beam, low beam, position lamps and daytime running lamps to fail, with a warning message appearing in the instrument cluster and the turn signal indicator fast flashing. The two accounts were not reconciled in the sources, so the exact nature of the February campaign remains unclear. ¹⁶

Details of the July driver-assistance campaign come from CarExpert's earlier report: 411 model year 2026 Mach-E, Transit Custom and Transit vehicles built between 2025 and 2026 were affected, with the notice citing possible unintended activation or deactivation of the high-beam lamps and non-compliance with Australian Design Rule 13/00 on lighting installation. On 23 July, CarExpert separately reported 867 rear-wheel drive Mach-Es built between 2022 and 2023 were recalled because the rear differential pinion shaft could break, resulting in a loss of motive power or loss of the park function when the vehicle is stationary. ⁴⁵

Recall history stretching back through 2025

The Mach-E's 2026 campaigns follow a busy 2025. In October 2025, CarExpert reported the model's fifth Australian recall — and fourth that year — covering 367 vehicles built between 2023 and 2025 over a non-compliant fuel consumption sticker, a defect Ford said posed no safety hazard and did not affect vehicle performance, but breached Australian Design Rule 81/02 on fuel consumption labelling. ⁷

Earlier 2025 campaigns included a nationwide recall in September 2025 impacting 452 vehicles over potential lighting faults, which also included examples of the Mustang sports car, and a July 2025 recall impacting 1234 Mach-Es due to a potential software issue affecting door locks. Two further recalls earlier in 2025 caught up 29,874 vehicles across a range of Ford models including the Mustang, F-150, Ranger and Everest. ⁷

Ford Australia's 2026 recall tally

With the latest Mach-E campaign included, Ford Australia has issued 22 vehicle recalls in 2026 — more than any other auto brand — including three this month alone, according to CarExpert. The company told CarExpert the number of recalls is not harming its reputation, and that customer safety remains its priority. ¹²

Parallel overseas campaigns

In the United States, USA TODAY reported in July 2026, citing National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall notices, that Ford was recalling over 100,000 vehicles across two issues totalling 110,626 vehicles. Among them were 42,784 2021-2023 Ford Mustang Mach-Es (recall 26V417000) because the rear differential pinion shaft may fracture, potentially leading to unintended movement or loss of drive power. Owners were expected to receive notification letters mailed around 13 July, with a second letter expected in December once the remedy was available; Ford dealers will repair or replace the rear differential assembly free of charge. ³

Separately, Indonesian news agency ANTARA reported on 20 September 2026, citing Carscoops, that Ford recalled 86 2023-2025 Mustang Mach-Es in the United States fitted with lithium iron phosphate batteries over a replacement Battery Energy Control Module fault. The report said the module could initialise battery State of Health at 100 per cent instead of the true value, potentially causing inaccurate State of Charge readings, unexpected power restriction and loss of drive, and in the longer term could increase lithium plating risk with DC fast charging. Ford said it was unaware of any accidents, injuries or fires related to the issue, and the remedy is a software update. This campaign was reported for the US market; no Australian applicability was stated in the report. ⁸