In a decisive turn for Aussie motor enthusiasts, Ford Australia has issued a massive recall involving thousands of its best-selling Ranger and Everest vehicles powered by the 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine.
The recall, which covers vehicles produced from 2022 to 2025, corrects a serious camshaft problem that could cause the engine to fail if not corrected.
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The Technical Problem
The recall is focusing on a manufacturing flaw at the camshaft assembly which would lead to early wear and can even lead to failure in selected operating environments.
According to Ford, engineers found that the hardening of the camshaft lobes during the manufacturing process could not have been done to a high enough quality level in some of the vehicles.
This insufficient hardening can lead to premature wear, especially under high load or extended use.
Should the camshaft lobes fail prematurely, it will not be able to operate the valve train system, resulting in the inability to control the engine’s process of breathing.
he failure will often present itself as poor engine performance, odd engine noises, excessive emissions, and in the more extreme cases, the sputtering engine refusing to drive.
An internal inquiry from Ford Australia showed that about 23,500 cars in total around the country could be affected by the defect.
The problem first emerged after an unexplained surge in warranty claims for complaints involving poor engine performance, with most reports describing strange ticking sounds from the engine bay and then loss of power.
Affected Models
The recall includes the following Ford vehicles:
2022-2025 Ford Ranger with 3.0L V6 diesel engine
2022-2025 Ford Everest with 3.0L V 6 diesel engine
Some of the desirable derivatives include the likes of the Ranger Wildtrak, Ranger Raptor and premium Everest Platinum, all of which come with the muscular V6 diesel engine, and not the base engine option which is the 2.0 bi-turbo diesel engine.
Of note the 2.0-litre diesel engine as well as the petrol engines in the Ford stable is not impacted by this recall.
Warning Signs and Symptoms
Ford is warning owners to remain aware of a few symptoms which could indicate the camshaft issue is affecting their vehicle:
A tootle on the downpipe light on the dash.
Odd engine ticking or knocking especially during warm-up
Power or acceleration is significantly diminished
How Can I Tell if my Engine is Misfiring? Balkey Idling Or Hesitating When You Accelerate
Abnormal fuel consumption above normal condition
Black smoke from exhaust under normal driving conditions
Any of these signs could signal that the camshaft is wearing out prematurely and owners should contact their closest Ford dealer as soon as possible, it adds, even if they have yet to receive their official recall notice.
Ford’s Response and Remedy
Ford Australia has made it clear that they will do something about this as soon as possible. The manufacturer will notify all registered owners of affected vehicles by mail directly, with communications to owners planned for no later than mid May 2025.
The letter will contain instructions on how the recall service will be performed.
In accordance with Ford, the recall remedy will include a meticulous examination on the camshaft assembly and related parts.
A full replacement using revised specification parts which have been hardened and hardened for the correct amount of time will be carried out on vehicles found to have the faulty camshaft. Related parts such as cam followers, valve lifters, and perhaps the timing chain will also be checked and, if needed, replaced.
“The safety and satisfaction of our customers is our number one priority and we take these matters extremely seriously,” Ford Australia’s Director of Customer Service Jane Robertson said.
“This recall demonstrates our commitment to providing best in class quality and customer service,” “We are acting now to address potential issues and to do what is right for our customers. Our dealer network is trained, equipped and ready to make these repairs in the most convenient way possible for our customers.”
The repairs will be carried out at no charge at any authorized Ford dealer in Australia and will take 4 to 6 hours to complete. Ford has said it will offer free loan vehicles to owners whose vehicles need extended repair times.
Effects on the owners % cr and the market
The recall is a difficult one for Ford Australia which has both the Ranger and Everest – and the related vehicles from which the models are dropped – high on its priority list.
The Ranger in particular has been a perennial favourite in Australia’s cut-throat ute market, regularly challenging Toyota’s HiLux as the best-selling ute. Everest also wandered in and settled as a winner for the off-roading bracket.
Industry analysts estimate that, while the recall is large, quick moves by Ford, together with a transparent communication policy may limit damage to its customer base.
“For Ford, execution is going to be critical,” said Michael Thorpe, auto industry analyst at Australian Market Research Group.
“If they can complete these repairs in a timely and efficient manner, with first class customer service all the way through, they may well end up actually reinforcing brand loyalty despite being initially inconvenienced.”
In the short term, for owners considering selling their vehicle, there might be some effect on resale values until the recall repair has been performed and recorded. But past data from similar recalls indicate that once the problem is fixed, the vehicles normally recoup their market value.
Broader Industry Context
The recall is part of a broader shift towards greater scrutiny of diesel engines in the automotive sector.
Today’s diesel powerplants, as efficient and powerful as they’ve ever been, are more advanced and sophisticated to enable manufacturers to achieve restrictive emissions targets while still offering what customers want in the way of performance.
The Ford-Lion diesel engine, Ford’s flagship diesel in Australia, has been developed in conjunction with Ford’s global engineering resources and Niche have been collecting data and testing since the Ford 3.0L V6 turbo diesel engine (codenamed ‘Lion’) was introduced.
That compares to the 184kW and 600Nm provided in the Ranger Raptor, meaning it boasts a lot more grunt than the 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel alternative.
When you look at the other manufacturers and their own respective issues similar to what Ford is having the with camshaft, you can tell Ford’s seems to be more of an easily rectified mechanical fault rather than the typical emissions one.
This could account for the company’s ability to find a solution and apply it to the impacted fleet.
What customers should do and next steps
Ford Australia is advising customers to do the following steps:
See if their car is affected by typing in their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on Ford Australia’s recall website or by phoning Ford’s dedicated recall line.
Make an appointment with an authorized Ford dealer as soon as you receive the recall letter.
Continue to operate their vehicles normally while awaiting recall service, but may experience warning signs as described above.
Retain all associated paperwork, and please return the recall notice information, even if you are not the owner of the vehicle.
For customers who have already experienced an issue with their Focus or Fiesta related to this potential problem and had it repaired, Ford has a reimbursement process in place.
Owners who think they are eligible should bring proof of their repaired vehicles to Ford’s relationship center to present their case.
Industry Experts Weigh In
A few automotive analysts weigh in on the recall. “The camshaft is the brain of the engine’s breathing system, Dr. Sarah Patel, a professor of automotive engineering at the University of Melbourne, told Live Science when asked to explain the technical side of the matter.
When properly made, the typical camshaft of modern-day should be the car’s life span. That type of early wear ”implies that a certain batch of components did not get the proper heat treatment during manufacturing.”
In the meantime, James Wilson, consumer advocate at the Australian Automotive Association, cautioned owners not to delay: “While it may be tempting to put off this type of service, particularly if your car is running without issue, camshaft failures can happen suddenly and could leave you stranded.
You are far better off getting the inspection done on your time than having to rush into an emergency repair.
The Ford Ranger and Everest recall is a major quality control headache for one of Australia’s best performing vehicle ranges.
But Ford’s decision to be proactive here, before we have widespread failures, seems to show that the company is committed to product quality and customer satisfaction.
As the recall plays out in the next few months, it will be interesting to see how well Ford handles the logistics for getting thousands of vehicles fixed and keep control of customer loyalty.
Owners’ significant lesson is to be alert on recall notices and to keep a good communication with their Ford dealer for all the duration of this process.
Ford Australia has stated that this recall is being undertaken voluntarily, in conjunction with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and follows receipt of information from the Takata Corporation, which supplies the affected airbags.
The automaker has told customers that all necessary replacement parts are either at its dealers or in-transit there for repairs.
