Ford has announced a recall of 67,842 Ford Mustang units due to a defect in the wiper motor that causes the wipers to operate only at high speed in extremely cold conditions.The affected models include the 2024-2026 Ford Mustang (67,553 units) and the 2025-2026 Ford Mustang GTD (289 units). According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall report, the wiper defect could increase the risk of a crash.The recall arrives days after Ford was named the top mainstream brand for new-vehicle quality in the J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Initial Quality Study. Explaining the recall-related issue, the report stated that in conditions with temperatures of zero degrees or lower, the wiper motor may lose Local Interconnect Network (LIN) communication with the Mustang's steering column control module.AdvertisementAdvertisementConsequently, customers may find that the front windshield wipers only operate at their high-speed setting. Not only that, but customers may also find that the windshield washer system becomes inoperable in cold temperatures.the rear end of a gray mustang parked in the snowRevealing the cause of the issue, the NHTSA recall report stated:"The supplier of a semiconductor chip on the wiper motor's printed circuit board assembly erroneously used a 32-kilobyte programming equipment setting for the 16-kilobyte chip to be programmed with a mismatched 32 kiloybte algorithm. This erroneous equipment setting may result in the LIN communication issue at cold temperatures." [sic]Ford has a remedy in place, and affected owners will be notified by mail. They will be required to take their Mustangs to a Ford or Lincoln dealership, where the wiper motor will be inspected. If the motor fails the inspection, it will be replaced with a wiper motor containing "a semi-conductor chip with a properly configured TRIM value." There will be no charge for this service.AdvertisementAdvertisementRevealing the recall schedule, the report read:"Notification to dealers is expected to occur on July 2, 2026. Mailing of interim owner notification letters is expected to begin July 8, 2026 and is expected to be completed by July 15, 2026. Mailing of remedy owner notification letters is expected to begin March 29, 2027 and is expected to be completed by April 2, 2027. The date VINs are planned to be searchable is July 2, 2026."