A dark center screen on a 2026 Ford Ranger can mean more than a lost radio station: on 11,405 of the midsize pickups, the 10.1-inch center stack display may lose power and stop showing the rearview camera image. Ford reported the defect to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Sept. 22, 2026, and there is no fix yet. The remedy is still under development, and interim letters warning owners are scheduled to go out Oct. 5.
The recall covers only 2026 Rangers equipped with the 10.1-inch screen. Because the backup camera’s image is displayed on that screen, a display that goes dark takes the camera view with it, which puts these trucks out of compliance with the federal rear-visibility standard.
NHTSA’s recall record for campaign 26V605 lists the report as received Sept. 22, 2026, the component as “back over prevention: display function,” and 11,405 vehicles potentially affected. It states that “the screen may lose power and fail to display the rearview camera image,” and that, as a result, the trucks “fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, ‘Rear Visibility.'”
What the rearview camera rule requires
The consequence, in NHTSA’s words in the same record, is direct: “A rearview camera image that does not display reduces the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.”
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 111 is the federal rear-visibility rule. The text of the standard in the Code of Federal Regulations states its purpose as reducing “the number of deaths and injuries that occur when the driver of a motor vehicle does not have a clear and reasonably unobstructed view to the rear.” For light vehicles manufactured on or after May 1, 2018, it requires a rearview image covering a test zone behind the vehicle, and says that image “shall be displayed within 2.0 seconds of the start of a backing event.” A screen that has lost power cannot meet either requirement.
No fix yet: what Ford and NHTSA have committed to
The NHTSA record is plain about the status of the repair: “The remedy is currently under development.” It says interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed Oct. 5, 2026, and that “additional letters will be sent when the remedy is available.” No date for that second letter has been published.
NHTSA’s acknowledgment letter to Ford, dated Sept. 25, 2026, sets out the paperwork that follows. It titles the campaign “Rearview Camera Image May Not Display/FMVSS 111” and requires Ford to file eight consecutive quarterly reports followed by three annual reports on the campaign’s progress, with the first quarterly report due within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter in which owner notification goes out.
Ford’s own number for the recall is 26C42, and owners can reach Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332, according to the NHTSA record. The affected vehicle identification numbers became searchable on NHTSA.gov on Sept. 25, 2026.
Checking a 2026 Ranger
The fastest check is the VIN. NHTSA’s recall lookup page tells owners to look on the lower left of the windshield for the 17-character number, which also appears on registration and insurance cards, and says a search shows “if a specific vehicle needs to be repaired as part of a recall.” The same page says owners who receive a recall notice should contact a local dealership to have the recalled part fixed for free.
For now, a matching VIN tells a Ranger owner the truck is covered, not that a repair is ready. The NHTSA record lists no interim repair; the Oct. 5 letter is a notice of the safety risk, not a repair.
The 2026 Ranger’s recall record
The screen campaign is not the first for this model year. NHTSA’s recall listing for the 2026 Ford Ranger shows eight campaigns touching the model year, beginning with a side curtain air bag recall received Aug. 22, 2025. The others cover the integrated trailer brake control (Feb. 20, 2026), sun visors (April 14), seat fasteners (April 28), labels (May 26), two engine hard-parts campaigns (May 27 and Aug. 25) and now the display, received Sept. 22. Several of those also reach back to earlier Ranger model years; 26V605 is limited to 2026 trucks.
The next dated step on the record is the Oct. 5, 2026, mailing of interim owner letters. A second letter, with the actual fix, will follow only when Ford’s remedy is ready.
Top image: A 2024 Ford Ranger Lariat SuperCrew, the same generation as the recalled 2026 trucks. Image Credit: Charles from Port Chester, New York — CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Combat Rated editors prior to publication.