8 pickup trucks hit by recalls over defects from failing engines to loose seat belts

Pickup trucks carry outsized trust because owners lean on them for towing, hauling, and long highway miles, which makes a mechanical or safety defect especially consequential. Automakers issued a fresh wave of recalls spanning runaway transmissions, corroding shock absorbers, and seat-belt anchors installed incorrectly at the factory. Here are eight pickup trucks currently under recall for defects that range from failing engines to loose seat belts.

1. Ford F-150 (2015-2017): The Runaway Downshift

The 2015-2017 Ford F-150 is caught in a transmission recall covering 1,392,935 trucks. Regulators found that the transmission can abruptly and unexpectedly downshift to a lower gear, a malfunction that strikes without warning during normal driving rather than under any unusual load or stress.

A sudden downshift like that can lock up a wheel and send the truck sliding, and the resulting loss of traction raises the odds that a driver loses control, particularly at highway speed or on a wet road. The recall’s size, more than 1.3 million trucks, makes it the largest single action in this lineup.

2. Ram 1500 (2019-2026): Loose Seat Belt Anchors

Ram is recalling 1,271,294 examples of the 1500, spanning model years 2019 through 2026, after finding that second-row seat belt anchors may have been improperly installed. The problem sits at the anchor point itself, a detail an occupant has no way to spot from inside the cabin before buckling in.

A seat belt anchor that is not properly secured can fail to keep a rear passenger restrained in the event of a crash, which is exactly the moment the belt is supposed to matter most. Because the recall spans eight model years of production, the scale of the fix reaches well beyond a single assembly run.

3. Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (2021-2024): The Engine That Can Fail

The 2021-2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is part of a 597,630-vehicle recall GM issued over its L87 V8 engine. GM traces the risk to connecting rod and crankshaft defects that can lead to engine damage and, ultimately, complete engine failure.

An engine that fails outright is a more serious problem than one that merely runs rough, since it can leave a truck stranded or unable to maintain power in traffic. The recall covers several GM full-size trucks and SUVs that share the same L87 engine, so the Silverado is only one of the nameplates affected.

4. GMC Sierra 1500 (2021-2024): Same Engine, Same Risk

The GMC Sierra 1500 shares its L87 V8 engine with the Silverado, which puts the 2021-2024 Sierra inside the same GM engine recall. The defect involves the connecting rods and crankshaft, components GM says can fail and take the engine down with them.

For a Sierra owner, the practical upshot is identical to a Silverado owner’s: the same 597,630-vehicle recall population, the same L87 engine, and the same risk of a rod or crankshaft failure severe enough to take out the engine. GM does not treat the two trucks differently because the underlying defect lives in the engine itself, not in anything specific to either nameplate.

5. Toyota Tundra (2022-2024): Debris In The Crankshaft

Toyota recalled the 2022-2024 Tundra after finding that machining debris was left inside the engine during production. That leftover debris can damage the crankshaft main bearings over time, a failure mode that starts inside the engine and is not something a driver can see or check for.

As the bearings wear down, the Tundra can lose power or stall outright, either of which is dangerous if it happens in traffic or while merging onto a highway. Because the debris is a manufacturing defect rather than a wear item, it affects the truck regardless of how carefully it has been driven or maintained.

6. Toyota Tacoma (2024-2025): Corroding Shock Absorbers

Toyota is recalling 48,280 examples of the 2024-2025 Tacoma after identifying a corrosion risk in the metal flange on the front and rear shock absorbers. The flange can corrode over time and eventually fail, a problem tied to the part’s material rather than to how the truck has been driven.

A shock absorber that fails at the flange can change how the truck handles, particularly over rough pavement or during hard braking, when the suspension is doing the most work. The recall is far smaller than the Ford, Ram or GM actions on this list, but the underlying mechanism, a corroding structural part, is no less serious for the trucks it affects.

7. Rivian R1T (2025-2026): Turn Signals That Won’t Light

Rivian recalled the 2025-2026 R1T alongside its R1S SUV after finding that one or both front turn signals may fail to illuminate and flash. The issue affects the exterior lighting a driver relies on to signal an intended turn or lane change to everyone else on the road.

A turn signal that does not light up removes one of the simplest, most important ways a driver communicates an intended turn to everyone else on the road, especially at night, in bad weather or in heavy traffic. Because the recall covers the R1S along with the R1T, the same defect and the same fix apply to both of Rivian’s current models rather than to the pickup alone.

8. Ford Maverick (2025-2026): A Seat Sensor That Guesses Wrong

Ford recalled the 2025-2026 Maverick over a passenger seat sensor that may fail to accurately distinguish between an adult and a child riding in the front seat. That sensor is what tells the airbag system how to respond in a crash, so a misread has direct consequences for how the airbag deploys.

If the sensor misjudges who is sitting in the seat, the front passenger airbag can deploy in a way that is not appropriate for that occupant’s size, which is precisely the scenario child-passenger safety rules were written to prevent. The defect lives in the sensor itself rather than in anything visible from inside the cabin, so an owner has no way to notice it before Ford completes the fix.