Ford over-the-air update RCM-26.4.2.1
What it saysQuality improvements include: -Updates the Restraint Control Module to prevent a potential internal fault that may cause a warning light to illuminate for one key cycle NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as an over-the-air update dated Jul 30, 2026, received May 1, 2026, about the seat belts — 5 documents under this number: RCM-26.4.2.1 Exped & Nav, RCM-26.4.2.1 Transit, RCM-26.4.2.1 SuperDuty, RCM-26.4.2.1 F-150 and 1 more. It names 10 model years across Ford and Lincoln (2025–2026). An over-the-air update is not a safety recall — there is no NHTSA campaign number and no federal requirement — but it is usually work the manufacturer pays for on the vehicles it names; the dealer checks the VIN against the manufacturer’s list.
One page for every brand it was filed under. Each brand’s bulletins: Ford · Lincoln.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationQuality improvements include: -Updates the Restraint Control Module to prevent a potential internal fault that may cause a warning light to illuminate for one key cycle
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RCM-26.4.2.1 Exped & Nav | Over-the-air update | Jul 30, 2026 | 11035623 | PDF, 22 KB |
| RCM-26.4.2.1 Transit | Over-the-air update | Jul 7, 2026 | 11034985 | PDF, 21 KB |
| RCM-26.4.2.1 SuperDuty | Over-the-air update | May 7, 2026 | 11032714 | PDF, 22 KB |
| RCM-26.4.2.1 F-150 | Over-the-air update | Apr 30, 2026 | 11031921 | PDF, 21 KB |
| RCM-26.4.2.1 Explorer | Over-the-air update | Apr 29, 2026 | 11031922 | PDF, 22 KB |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themFord 9 model years
Also filed against model years this site has no page for: 2026 Ford F-550 SD.
Lincoln 1 model year
A vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 9 model years this bulletin names have filed 210 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 49 of them name Electrical System — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
Truck lost all electrical power while backing a trailer up. Engine died, no steering, no brakes, no power on dash, no emergence brakes, no power to door locks, no power to windows. If vehicle had been moving any faster no telling what could have been. Vehicle was towed to ford dealership and zero reasons for such a total loss of power.
2026 Ford F-250 Super Duty · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 6, 2026 · ODI 11729384
The trailer light control module is intermittently causing trailer light faults messages and signal failures. This is associated to recall 26C10. The software update doesn’t correct the problem. Ford does not have the hardware on hand to replace the failing part. This is a safety issue for us who are on the road towing travel trailers
2026 Ford F-350 Super Duty · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 16, 2026 · ODI 11764803
The navigation is intermittent, which causes the dash and connectivity to stop, which makes the dash go blank. Come back on and has shut the truck off a couple of times. Ford is saying it's connectivity, they're connectivity. People is saying the software software people are saying it's hardware. The dealer refuses to work on it.
2026 Ford F-450 Super Duty · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Oct 12, 2026 · ODI 11770665
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the seat belts
Source: same model, same component group5 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (seat belts), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55135 | Service bulletin | Aug 29, 2026 | Some 2026-2027 Transit vehicles may exhibit a "Rear Belt Monitor Fault Service Required" message displayed in the instrument panel cluster… |
| SSM 54440 | Service bulletin | Dec 10, 2025 | Some 2025 Expedition/Navigator vehicles built on or before 06-Oct-2025 may exhibit a rear "Liftgate And Tailgate Ajar" message in the instru… |
| ACM-25.AS | Over-the-air update | Oct 2, 2025 | 25C31 Recall remedy -Audio head unit update to ensure the seatbelt reminder chime is triggered at vehicle start-up |
| 23L06 | Service bulletin | Feb 19, 2024 | Certain 2013-2019 Model Year Explorer Police Interceptor Vehicles - Owner Guide Update |
| SSM 51907 | Service bulletin | Sep 7, 2023 | Some 2015-2023 Transit vehicles may exhibit front seat safety belts that do not extend or retract properly or may exhibit an abnormal noise.… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Ford and Lincoln, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Ford RCM-26.4.2.1 a recall?
No. A over-the-air update is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the RCM-26.4.2.1 repair free?
A over-the-air update is usually paid by the manufacturer on the vehicles it names, within the terms and time limit the document sets; the dealer checks the VIN against the manufacturer’s list.
Which vehicles does RCM-26.4.2.1 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 10 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2026 Ford Expedition, 2026 Ford Explorer, 2025 Ford Explorer, 2026 Ford F-150, 2026 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2026 Ford F-350 Super Duty and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.