Backing out of a driveway or a grocery-store slot with a blank reverse camera is not a minor glitch. Federal regulators treat a failed backup image as a real crash risk because millions of Americans rely on that screen every day, especially in tight parking lots and on crowded suburban streets. In October 2025, Ford notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of campaign 25V695, covering about 1,448,655 Ford and Lincoln vehicles in the United States whose rearview cameras may show a distorted, intermittent, or blank image when the transmission is in reverse.
What changed and why it matters on the road
NHTSA published the defect description on October 13, 2025. The issue sits in the back over prevention camera system—not the optional 360-degree view on newer trucks, but the federally required reverse image that has been standard equipment on light vehicles for years. When the feed fails, you lose depth cues behind the bumper just when pedestrians, cyclists, and low objects are hardest to see from the driver seat.
Ford’s remedy is straightforward on paper: dealers inspect the camera and replace it if needed, at no charge. The catch for owners is timing. NHTSA’s remedy text describes a phased campaign, with parts and repair procedures arriving in waves by model and model year. Interim owner letters about the safety risk began going out in late October 2025, while some phases may not have a final fix until around June 2026. That gap matters if you depend on the screen instead of turning your head—a habit many drivers picked up after backup cameras became mandatory.
Which vehicles NHTSA lists in campaign 25V695
Always confirm your own vehicle with a VIN lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls; the campaign file is the authoritative list. Ford’s reported population includes, among others:
- 2015–2019 Ford Flex
- 2015 Ford Explorer
- 2015–2016 Ford C-Max, Escape, and Taurus
- 2016 Ford Fusion
- 2018–2019 Ford Taurus
- 2019 Ford Fiesta
- 2020 Ford Mustang
- 2015 and 2019 Lincoln MKT
- 2015 Lincoln MKZ
VINs tied to this recall became searchable on NHTSA’s site on October 14, 2025. Ford’s customer reference for the campaign is recall 25SA9; the safety hotline is 1-866-436-7332, and NHTSA’s vehicle safety line is 1-888-327-4236.
What to do if your daily driver is on the list
Run the VIN first. A clean lookup today does not guarantee your camera will stay healthy, but an open 25V695 flag tells you Ford owes a repair path even if parts are not ready yet.
Read the letter carefully. Interim mail explains the risk; later mail will tell you when your phase can be scheduled. Keep both with your registration paperwork so a spouse or teen driver knows not to trust a flickering screen.
Change how you reverse until the fix lands. Shoulder checks, mirrors, and slow speed beat guessing what is behind you. If the image goes blank mid-maneuver, stop and walk the path—you are not overreacting; you are compensating for hardware NHTSA says may fail.
Schedule service when Ford says your phase is open. Ask the advisor to document the recall closure on the repair order. When the dealer replaces the camera, logging that repair date in CarDiary keeps the fix beside your other service records so trade-in or resale conversations start with facts, not memory.
Do not disable the camera or tape over the lens. A dark screen feels honest, but it removes the warning you still need when the system works again intermittently.
Used-car shoppers: extra steps in this VIN window
2015–2020 Ford and Lincoln models move through independent lots and peer-to-peer sales every week. A seller may not know 25V695 exists, or may assume a working camera means the campaign does not apply. Before you sign, match the VIN on the title to NHTSA’s recall database and to Ford’s records by phone if anything looks ambiguous.
Test reverse on a bright day and again near dusk—some owners report distortion under specific lighting long before the screen goes fully blank. Pair that road test with a walk-around for bumper damage; a replaced camera from an unrelated collision does not automatically clear an open recall.
CarDiary’s VIN check is a handy place to stash what you learned during the test drive alongside registration and inspection deadlines; it is not a government register, just your digital log so the recall status does not get lost in email.
How this fits Ford’s wider camera scrutiny
Reuters and other outlets noted that 25V695 arrived amid other Ford camera actions in 2025, including separate recalls for different display behaviors and expanded warranty coverage on millions of additional vehicles. For drivers, the practical takeaway is simple: treat backup-camera reliability as an ongoing maintenance theme on older Ford platforms, not a one-time headline. If your model year is not in 25V695 but the reverse image acts up, still report it—NHTSA uses field reports to decide whether a pattern deserves a new campaign.
Staying legal without trusting a broken screen
Federal motor vehicle standards require a functioning rear visibility system on affected model years; driving with a known blank screen does not create a special exemption from careless backing citations in most states. Local police rarely inspect camera pixels, but liability after a parking-lot strike falls on the driver who moved without a clear view. Fixing 25V695 when your phase opens is the compliant path; until then, drive as if the camera is already gone.
