Ford Tailgate Cable Recall Hits 30,123 F-150 and Super Duty Trucks, Fix Due in January
A supplier's broken crimping die left some 2026 F-150 and Super Duty tailgate cables weak. The replacement won't reach dealers until mid-January.
Ford is recalling 30,123 pickups because the left tailgate support cable on some trucks may not have been fully crimped, which can let a heavily loaded tailgate drop. The fix is a free replacement cable, but owners won't get the letter telling them it's ready until January 18–22, 2027, according to Ford's filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The campaign (NHTSA 26V689, Ford 26S78) covers 18,412 2026–2027 F-150s built May 31 through June 16, 2026, plus 7,387 F-250, 3,537 F-350, and 787 F-450 Super Duty trucks from the 2026 model year built May 30 through June 16. It's Ford's second F-150 and Super Duty recall in two weeks, following the 102,159-truck speedometer recall we reported last week.
What goes wrong
Ford traced the problem to a broken crimping die at supplier Cable Manufacturing & Assembly Co. in Bolivar, Ohio, which affected two production shifts on May 26, 2026. About 600 suspect cables, part number FL34-9944411-AD, were shipped to Ford. That works out to roughly 2% of the trucks in the recall population.
A lowered tailgate hangs on two cables. If the end fitting on the left cable pulls free under a load on the order of a UTV, the right cable can't carry the weight alone. The tailgate then falls onto the bumper and could strike anyone standing behind the truck. Nothing on the instrument cluster warns the driver beforehand.
This isn't a repeat of Ford's 2019 Super Duty tailgate campaign, which covered about 231,664 2017–2019 trucks whose power tailgates could unlatch because water shorted the release wiring. The new defect only comes into play when weight sits on a tailgate that is already open.
A three-month wait for the fix
Cables separated during a test load at Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant on June 13. Ford stopped shipping 2026–2027 Super Duty and F-150 trucks two days later, and its Field Review Committee approved the recall on October 13. As of October 19, the company said it knew of no warranty claims, field reports, crashes, or injuries linked to the issue.
The schedule is what stands out. Affected VINs are due to appear in NHTSA's lookup on December 7, interim owner letters go out December 14–18, dealers get notified January 11, 2027, and remedy letters follow a week later. Ford's filing doesn't say why the repair is that far off, and it doesn't break out how many of the 30,123 trucks were already with customers when shipments stopped on June 15.
The timing lands in a busy stretch for Ford's trucks. In September the company recalled 223,472 F-150s over fuel tank straps, and NHTSA is now examining the 7.3-liter V8 and the Maverick's backup camera.
What owners should do now
Because the trucks weren't built in VIN order, a VIN range won't tell you whether yours is included. Ford's recall line is 1-866-436-7332, and NHTSA's VIN search should list the campaign from December 7. Until the cable is replaced, the defect itself points to the precaution: keep heavy loads off a lowered tailgate and keep people clear of it.
Ford's report doesn't mark the recall with either of NHTSA's consumer advisories, Do Not Drive or Park Outside. NHTSA's public recall record, which carries those flags, wasn't available to us before publication.
