Recalls: Ford U704 Everest
Overview
OverviewRecalls are issued for defects or faults which have the potential to cause injury. Manufacturers or importers seek to inform the original buyer if their vehicle is subject to a recall and of the steps required to remedy the defect or fault. However, manufacturers or importers may not have the contact details of subsequent owners. Please note that the recalls below are for Australian-delivered vehicles only. Furthermore, the number of recalls should not be taken as an indication of a model’s reliability or its safety more generally.
Recalls: Ford U704 Everest
2022 Ford U704 Everest: driver’s seatbelt assembled incorrectly
In April 2023, recall campaign 23S14 was issued for Ford U704 Everest vehicles. Due to a defect during assembly, some vehicles may have the driver’s seatbelt assembled incorrectly. The seatbelt may therefore not adequately restrain the driver if a collision occurred, increasing the risk of injury. For the VINs of the recalled vehicles, please see REC-005639.
2021-23 Ford U704 Everest: transmission may shift into ‘Park’
In August 2023, recall campaign 23S40 was issued for 2021-23 Ford U704 Everest vehicles. Due to a software issue, if the battery level dropped below a critical threshold and the vehicle was travelling at less than 6 km/h, the transmission may shift into ‘Park’. This could cause the vehicle to stop suddenly, without the rear brake lamps illuminating. Stopping suddenly could increase the risk of a collision and therefore injury to both vehicle occupants and other road users. For the VINs of the recalled vehicles, please see REC-005759.
2022-24 Ford U704 Everest: power windows may not auto-reverse
In October 2024, recall campaign 24C24 was issued for 2022-24 Ford U704 Everest vehicles. Due to a software issue, if a vehicle occupant placed an obstruction such as a body part in the window space when the driver or passenger side windows were closing, the auto-reverse function may not have operate until significant pressure was applied. If the driver or passenger side window auto reverse function did not operate as intended, it increased the risk of serious injury to vehicle occupants. For the VINs of the recalled vehicles, please see REC-006100.
2022–25 Ford U704 Everest with 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine: engine camshaft sprocket may fracture
In April 2025, recall campaign 25S39 was issued for 2022–2025 Ford U704 Everest vehicles that had 3.0-litre “Lion” turbo-diesel engines. Due to a manufacturing defect, the left-hand engine camshaft sprocket could fracture – this could cause the engine to stall and a sudden loss of power whilst driving. These circumstances increased the risk of a collision and injury to vehicle occupants and other road users. For the VINs of the recalled vehicles, please see REC-006341.
2022-24 Ford U704 Everest: rear-view camera may not display when reversing
In June 2025, recall campaign 25S49 was issued for 2022-2024 Ford U704 Everest vehicles. Due to a software issue, the rear-view camera may not display the rear-view image whilst reversing. If this occurred, it could increase the risk of a collision and serious injury to persons behind the vehicle. To fix, an authorised Ford dealer was to update the vehicle’s software. For the VINs of the recalled vehicles, please see REC-006358.
2022-2024 Ford U704 Everest: power window auto-reverse may not operate correctly
In June 2025, recall campaign 25C10 was issued for 2022-2024 Ford U704 Everest vehicles. Due to a software issue, if an occupant placed an obstruction (such as a body part) in the window opening when the driver or passenger side windows were closing, the window may not automatically reverse and may exert an upward force on that obstruction. This posed a risk of injury to vehicle occupants. To fix, an authorised Ford dealer was to update the vehicle’s software. It was noted that an incorrect software update may have been installed on Ford Everest vehicles as part of recall campaign 24C24. For the VINs of the recalled vehicles, please see REC-006360.
2025 Ford U704 Everest: transmission main valve body and failure to reverse
In August 2025, recall campaign 25S19 was issued for 2025 Ford U704 Everest vehicles. Due to a manufacturing defect, the transmission main valve body may not meet engineering specifications. As a result, when the gear selector was placed into “reverse”, the vehicle may fail to reverse. The vehicle may also move forward inadvertently when placed into “reverse” or “neutral”. These conditions increased the risk of a collision and injury to vehicle occupants, bystanders and other road users. When this malfunction occurred, the driver would be warned by illumination of the Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) and Wrench light. For the VINs of the recalled vehicles, please see REC-006409.
2021 Ford U704 Everest: tow bar hitch may detach whilst driving
In September 2025, recall campaign 25S84 was issued for 2021 Ford U704 Everest vehicles. Due to a manufacturing defect, the tow bar hitch may not have been welded to the required specifications and could detach from the tow bar whilst driving. If the tow bar hitch detached from the vehicle whilst towing, it could increase the risk of a collision and injury to other road users and bystanders. For the VINs of the recalled vehicles, please see REC-006429.
2022–25 Ford U704 Everest with ARB Intensity Solis driving lights: auxiliary light wiring harness may cause vehicle fire
In December 2025, recall campaign 25SC8 was issued for 2022–25 Ford U704 Everest vehicles. Due to a manufacturing defect, moisture may enter the wiring harness for the ARB Intensity Solis driving lights, causing corrosion. If this occurred, it could generate excessive heat and a vehicle fire, while the vehicle was parked or driving. This posed a risk of injury to vehicle occupants, other road users and bystanders, and property damage. Until the defect was rectified by a Ford dealership, owners were advised to park their vehicles in an open space and away from flammable materials and structures. However, Ford’s initial fix was to provide instructions so that customers could deactivate the ARB Intensity Solis driving lights, until replacement parts became available. For the VINs of the recalled vehicles, please see REC-006497.
2022 Ford U704 Everest: transmission could shift into Park unexpectedly
In February 2026, recall campaign 25SF1 was issued for 2022 Ford U704 Everest vehicles. Due to a software issue, if the battery level dropped below a critical threshold while the vehicle was travelling at speeds below 6 km/h, the transmission may shift into Park. This could cause the vehicle to stop suddenly without the rear brake lamps illuminating as intended. This condition increased the risk of a collision and serious injury to vehicle occupants and other road users. To fix, an authorised Ford dealership was to update the vehicle’s software. Ford advised that even vehicles previously repaired under a related recall (campaign 23S40) required this new software update. For the VINs of the recalled vehicles, please see REC-006541.
Problems and faults: Ford U704 Everest
Overview
OverviewThis section identifies potential problems, causes and fixes based on the experiences of owners and repairers, online sources and technical service bulletins. This information is provided solely for reference purposes and AustralianCar.Reviews recommends that only properly qualified persons carry out repairs or modifications. Furthermore, the number of items below should not be taken as an indicator of a model’s reliability or the frequency with which they may occur.
To report a problem or fault to the AustralianCar.Reviews team, please use the Contact Us form. Note that AustralianCar.Reviews does not offer advice on automotive problems or disputes; such enquiries will not receive a reply. For vehicles purchased from dealers after 1 January 2011, please see our Australian Consumer Law fact sheet.
Ford U704 Ranger with 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6: driveline vibration (“The Thrum”)
For Ford U704 Everest vehicles with 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 engines, drivers have reported a “thrumming” or humming vibration that they can feel through the floor, pedals, and steering wheel. It typically occurs at two speed windows: 40–60 km/h and 80–100 km/h. This is caused by a misaligned driveline. Specifically, the angles of the multi-piece tailshaft and the centre bearing are often out of factory tolerance. In the U704 Everest, the coil-spring rear suspension can make the vibration more noticeable than in the Ford P703 Ranger which has leaf-spring rear suspension.
To fix this problem, Ford dealers typically attempt to re-balance the tailshaft. If the vibration persists, Ford dealers may install a centre bearing spacer kit or differential shims to realign the pinion angles.
Ford U704 Everest: battery drain and “Deep Sleep Mode”
Ford U704 Everest owners have reported receiving notifications via the FordPass app stating their vehicle has entered “Deep Sleep Mode” to conserve power. Furthermore, the vehicle may shut down remote features (like FordPass connectivity) and, in some cases, fails to start at all after being parked for only 2 to 5 days.
This fault is caused by a combination of high parasitic electrical draw from the vehicle’s modem/sensors and a Battery Management System (BMS) calibrated that often limits charging of the 12 volt battery to roughly 80% of its capacity to reduce alternator load and save fuel. Furthermore, the factory-fitted Enhanced Flooded Battery (EFB) often struggles to maintain the required voltage for the vehicle’s electrical load.
To fix this problem, Ford dealers can perform a BMS software update to increase the charging threshold. Furthermore, many Ford Ranger owners choose to replace the factory EFB with a higher-capacity AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) battery and charge the battery (using the trickle charge mode) if the vehicle is not driven daily.
Ford U704 Everest: SYNC 4 Infotainment Glitches & GPS Drift
For the Ford U704 Everest, the touchscreen for the SYNC 4 Infotainment system may experience “blackouts”, freeze while displaying the “Ford” logo or lose audio entirely (including indicator clicks). Owners also report “GPS drifting” where Google Maps or Waze shows the vehicle off-road or in the wrong street during wireless CarPlay/Android Auto sessions.
These problems have been attributed to software errors within the SYNC 4 operating system, and hardware-software “handshake” issues with smartphones. The GPS drift, however, is often a conflict between the phone’s GPS and the car’s onboard antenna.
For a temporary solution, the owner can perform a “soft” reset, by holding the “Volume Down” and “Seek Forward” buttons for 10 seconds. A more permanent fix requires a dealer-installed firmware update to improve stability.
Ford U704 Everest: clunky and/or hesitant gearshifts
For U704 Everest vehicles (with 2.0-litre biturbo diesel or 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engines), the ten-speed automatic transmission may product clunky or hesitant gearshifts, particularly when shifting between first, second and third gears at low speeds. Some owners also experience a “thump” when downshifting while coming to a stop.
These issues have been attributed to the adaptive learning software for the 10R80 transmission, which can “learn” poor shifting habits. In some early units, however, these issues may be caused by sticking solenoids or a faulty valve body.
To address this problem, the first step is for a Ford dealer to perform a PCM/TCM software calibration update and a “clear adaptives” procedure. If harsh gearshifts persist, the transmission solenoids or the entire valve body assembly may need to be replaced under warranty.
Ford U704 Everest with 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 engine: oil Leaks from rear main seal and timing cover
For Ford U704 Everest vehicles with 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 (“Lion”) engines, owners have reported oil pooling on the ground or dripping from the bellhousing area. These oil leaks have been attributed to the rear main seal (RMS) or upper timing cover gasket being improperly sealed.
Unfortunately, these are labour-intensive repairs. Fixing the rear main seal requires the transmission to be removed. Fixing timing cover gasket leaks requires the front of the engine to be partially disassembled and resealed.
