Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.Over in Dearborn, Michigan, Ford is working hard to improve quality, even hiring an NHTSA veteran to help improve its recall record. But it's a work in progress, as a new investigation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Defects Investigation reveals, with 82,040 2024 Ford Maverick Hybrid vehicles being investigated for an intermittent loss of anti-lock and regenerative braking. There has only been one recorded incident, but it did result in a crash, though no injuries or fatalities were reported. The investigation is still in its infancy, though, and numerous repair attempts have failed, so it may be a while before affected vehicles are either cleared as safe or put in line for a fix through a recall.One Ford Maverick Hybrid Owner Has Been Through HellJohn Beltz Snyder/AutoblogThe investigation is being opened because the ODI received a petition on July 20 of this year, dated July 7, which requested the investigation because of alleged intermittent loss of anti-lock and regenerative braking associated with certain fault codes that led to a crash. It's unclear how serious this collision was, but the petitioner says the problem persisted after four repair attempts and over 50 days of the Maverick Hybrid being out of service. Moreover, the petition alleges that MY2024 vehicles were improperly excluded from related Ford brake-control software recalls. Clearly, this owner is unhappy.AdvertisementAdvertisementRelated: Ford Bronco Pickup Is Coming to Take on the Jeep GladiatorHowever, it's curious that only one incident has been reported, especially since the 2024 Maverick Hybrid has been in circulation for some time. One would assume that if the issue were so deeply ingrained, other Maverick Hybrid owners would have experienced the same symptoms, but that's why an investigation is the next step. It's also worth mentioning that an intermittent loss of braking may be difficult for workshop technicians to replicate, but the NHTSA's ODI and Ford will no doubt look more closely now that an investigation is underway.Autoblog's TakeJohn Beltz Snyder/AutoblogFord's quality woes have been no secret, and this new investigation doesn't help, but on the bright side, only one model year is under investigation, which suggests that newer Maverick Hybrids are better calibrated or better made. The petitioner's issue may also be a rare one-off, with a lapse in quality only affecting their vehicle. It's also worth mentioning that Ford's overall reliability record is better than some peers. That said, with Ford on course to break its own recall record again in 2026, the automaker still has a long way to go before buyers can place their full confidence in the brand.This story was originally published by Autoblog on Aug 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.