Used Ford & Lincoln Backup-Camera Recall (26V123 / 26V124): What to Check by VIN Before Buying

Key facts

• Two recalls, not one: NHTSA campaigns 26V123 (Ford 26C11) and 26V124 (Ford 26S09), filed/acknowledged March 5, 2026 (Ford report date March 3, 2026), both coded "BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE."
• Combined units: 889,950 (26V123) + 849,310 (26V124) = ~1,739,260 (~1.74M).
• 26V123 defect: the rearview image on the center (SYNC) display may flip or invert in reverse. NHTSA states these vehicles fail to comply with FMVSS No. 111 (Rear Visibility).
• 26V124 defect: the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) may overheat and shut down, producing a blank / no image. The 26V124 letter does not cite FMVSS 111.
• Affected (26V123): 2020-2022 Ford Escape, 2020-2024 Ford Explorer, 2020-2024 Lincoln Aviator, 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair.
• Affected (26V124): 2021-2026 Ford Bronco, 2021-2024 Ford Edge.
• Remedy: free. 26V124 = dealer or over-the-air (OTA). 26V123 = dealer/mobile-service software fix, no OTA (per Consumer Reports/Cars.com); the remedy was under development at filing.
• Owner letters: 26V124 mailed ~March 30, 2026; 26V123 interim letters ~April 17, 2026, final-remedy letters anticipated Q2 2026.
• Crashes/injuries: Ford reported none for either recall (per Consumer Reports).
• Not in these recalls: F-150, Ranger, Bronco Sport, Mustang Mach-E, Expedition, Transit, Lincoln Nautilus/Navigator (some appear in the separate, earlier 25V315 camera recall).
• Ford customer service: 1-866-436-7332.

Which used Ford and Lincoln models are actually covered?

The 1.74M figure is the sum of two distinct recalls covering six models. Recall 26V123 covers 2020-2022 Ford Escape, 2020-2024 Ford Explorer, 2020-2024 Lincoln Aviator, and 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair. Recall 26V124 covers 2021-2026 Ford Bronco and 2021-2024 Ford Edge. Popular models often blamed in headlines — including the F-150 and Ranger — are not part of these two campaigns.

Build/production date ranges are not specified in the NHTSA acknowledgment letters; only the model-year ranges above are confirmed. One news source cited a Bronco build window of roughly Sept 20, 2020-Feb 10, 2026, but that is unverified against the official Part 573 report.

What is the difference between the "flipped image" (26V123) and "blank image" (26V124) recall?

These are two different failure mechanisms with two different fixes. In 26V123, the rearview image on the SYNC center display can flip or invert when the car is in reverse — an incorrectly displayed image that NHTSA says causes the vehicle to fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 111 (Rear Visibility). In 26V124, the APIM (the module that runs SYNC) can overheat and shut down, which can prevent the camera image from displaying at all.

Both reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle and, per NHTSA, increase crash risk. But only the 26V123 letter explicitly cites an FMVSS 111 non-compliance; the 26V124 letter describes the same rear-visibility consequence without naming the standard. So treating the whole 1.74M event as a single "FMVSS 111 violation" is accurate for 26V123 only.

How do I check by VIN whether a used Ford or Lincoln is in this recall?

Use a VIN. Both recalls' VIN sets became searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 5, 2026. The authoritative, free way to see whether a specific vehicle is covered and whether the recall is still open or already remedied is NHTSA's recall lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or Ford's owner-support recall page (Ford numbers 26C11 / 26S09). The dealer can confirm the same by VIN.

A practical, three-step pre-purchase sequence:

1. Screen the VIN broadly with a vehicle-history report to see recall presence plus the accident, salvage, odometer, and ownership history a test drive can't reveal. A Zilocar VIN check flags that an open recall is present (mirroring NHTSA's free tool) and surfaces accident/airbag-deployment records, junk and salvage-auction records, odometer/rollback checks, theft (NICB), ownership history, past and current sales-listing history, specs, NHTSA/IIHS safety ratings, and market valuation.
2. Confirm open-vs-remedied status for 26V123 / 26V124 on nhtsa.gov/recalls using the same VIN — this is the source that shows whether the camera fix has been applied.
3. Have the dealer verify the camera recall is closed (Ford 26C11 / 26S09) before you sign, or schedule the free repair.

What a VIN check can and can't tell you here

Be precise about what each tool proves. A vehicle-history report is strongest on the history you can't see on a test drive and can confirm a recall is present, but it does not show whether the camera software was actually flashed. Remedy status, NHTSA investigations, and per-unit firmware detail belong to NHTSA's free lookup and a Ford/Lincoln dealer.

One timing nuance matters for buyers: for 26V123, the remedy was still under development at filing, and final-remedy owner letters were not anticipated until Q2 2026. A car sold earlier in 2026 may have had no available fix at all — another reason to verify status on nhtsa.gov rather than assume.

Was the remedy even available when the car was sold?

Timing varies by recall. For 26V124 (Bronco/Edge), owner notification letters were expected to mail around March 30, 2026, with a software update available via dealer or OTA. For 26V123 (Escape/Explorer/Aviator/Corsair), interim owner letters were expected around April 17, 2026, with the final remedy anticipated in Q2 2026 — the mid-June 2026 "remedy available" coverage that put this story back in the news.

Note: the widely repeated "second letter ~June 26, 2026" date appears in trade/news roundups; the primary 26V123 acknowledgment letter only states interim letters around April 17, 2026 and a final remedy anticipated in Q2 2026. Treat the exact June date as unconfirmed against the primary filing.

Before you buy: screen the VIN first

Before you commit to a used Escape, Explorer, Bronco, Edge, Aviator, or Corsair, run the VIN through a Zilocar VIN check to confirm whether an open recall is present and to pull the accident, airbag-deployment, salvage-auction, odometer, theft, ownership, and sales-listing history a test drive can't show. Then confirm the camera recall's repair status on nhtsa.gov/recalls and with a Ford dealer before you sign.

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Sources

• Ford Owner Support — Recalls (look up by VIN; 26C11 / 26S09)
• NHTSA recall lookup — verify any VIN, view open/remedied status
• NHTSA Part 573 acknowledgment letter — Campaign 26V123 (Ford 26C11), FMVSS 111, 889,950 units
• NHTSA Part 573 acknowledgment letter — Campaign 26V124 (Ford 26S09), APIM overheat, 849,310 units
• Consumer Reports — 1.7M+ Ford and Lincoln SUVs recalled to fix backup cameras
• Cars.com — Ford recalls 849,000+ Bronco, Edge SUVs for backup-camera issue
• Fox Business — Ford recalls 1.74 million vehicles due to rearview-camera blackouts, issues
• The Detroit News — Bronco, Edge recall: Ford cites overheating camera module

Last verified: 2026-06-17.