Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
23–38 mpgcombined; city 21–42, highway 27–35; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$8,550–$14,120U.S. average; Ohio $7,640–$12,620 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2026 Maverick. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 16 complaints with NHTSA about the 2026 Maverick. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Service brakes
6
0
1
0
Electrical system
5
0
0
0
Unknown or other
4
1
0
0
Visibility/wiper
3
0
0
0
Air bags
1
0
0
0
Back over prevention
1
1
0
0
Forward collision avoidance
1
0
0
0
Power train
1
0
0
0
Steering
1
0
0
0
Suspension
1
0
0
0
Vehicle speed control
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for the 2026 Maverick over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Maverick, F-150, and Bronco Sport vehicles. Certain vehicle joints may be improperly tightened. This can lead to detached parts, unsecured cargo, degraded crash protection, electrical system failure, or a loss of vehicle stability.
Risk: Improperly tightened vehicle joints may lead to a loss of vehicle control, electrical failure, or detached parts, increasing the risk of a crash or fire.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the vehicle joints or repair and replace the joint retention mechanisms as necessary, free of charge. Owner notifications letters are expected to be mailed September 21, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S60. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on August 26, 2026.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2026 Bronco Sport and 2022-2026 Maverick vehicles. The front lower control arm ball joints may have been incorrectly installed or incorrectly repaired at the vehicle assembly plant, allowing the control arm to disconnect from the front wheel knuckle.
Risk: A detached control arm can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is completed. Dealers will inspect and repair the front lower control arm ball joints as necessary, free of charge.Owner notification letters were mailed September 2, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S36. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 29, 2026.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Bronco Sport and Maverick vehicles. The Occupant Classification Sensor (OCS) unit may fail to correctly detect the presence of an adult or child in the front passenger seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: Failure to correctly detect a passenger may result in the air bag not deploying as intended, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the passenger seat occupant classification sensor, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 25, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C19. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on April 2, 2026.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Maverick vehicles. The moonroof glass may not have been bonded correctly to the moonroof frame, which could result in the glass panel detaching from the vehicle.
Risk: A detached glass panel may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the moonroof glass and replace the glass if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 17, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S18. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 18, 2026.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2026 F-150, 2022-2026 F-250 SD, F-350 SD, F-450 SD, F-550 SD, Maverick, 2024-2026 Ranger, 2023-2026 F-600 SD, 2022-2027 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, and 2026 E-Transit vehicles. When towing a trailer, the integrated trailer module (ITRM) may lose communication with the vehicle, possibly causing a loss of brake and turn signal lights, or a loss of brake function. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: Trailer lights or brakes that do not function can reduce the driver’s ability to control the trailer and decrease the trailers visibility to other road users, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: The integrated trailer module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 25, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C10. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning March 17, 2026.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Maverick vehicles. The instrument panel cover may separate when the air bag deploy.
Risk: An instrument panel cover separation can cause pieces of the cover to strike occupants, increasing the risk injury during a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the instrument panel cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 25, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SE7. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 19, 2025.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2026 F-150 Lightning BEV, 2024-2026 Mustang Mach-E, and 2025-2026 Maverick vehicles. The integrated park module may fail to lock into the park position when the driver shifts into park. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Risk: A loss of park function can allow the vehicle to rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: The park module software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 3, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C69. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning January 26, 2026.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 30 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2026 Maverick, the latest on Oct 6, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (19), unknown or other (18), fuel/propulsion system (9), power train (6), engine (3).
NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.
Maintenance
Oil
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2026 Maverick.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: small pickup trucks. EPA greenhouse gas score: 5–7 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Maverick Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic 8-spd
Regular Gasoline
23 / 32 / 26
Maverick Part-time 4-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic 8-spd
Regular Gasoline
22 / 30 / 25
Maverick HEV Front-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (variable gear ratios)
Regular Gasoline
42 / 35 / 38
Maverick HEV Part-time 4-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (variable gear ratios)
Regular Gasoline
40 / 34 / 37
Maverick Lariat HEV Part-time 4-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (variable gear ratios)
Regular Gasoline
39 / 32 / 36
Maverick Lobo 4-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Regular Gasoline
21 / 30 / 24
Maverick Tremor 4-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Regular Gasoline
21 / 27 / 23
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data