Recall roundup: Ford engine cycle tests, Jeep clusters, TPMS and dash wiring

Start with the engine. NHTSA 24V-635 covers internal engine hard parts on 2021 and 2022 Ford vehicles, which on this site's list means the Bronco U725 and the F-150 Raptor from those two model years. The remedy is unusual: dealers will perform an engine cycle test and replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters, according to the brief, were mailed in July of last year. This is a recall where the outcome depends on the test result, so a vehicle can go in and come back with either a clean bill or a new engine.

If you own an affected Bronco or Raptor and have not had the test done, do it before a long trip rather than after. An engine failure on a trail is a recovery problem as much as a mechanical one, and a truck the size of a Raptor is not something a friend's UTV can tow out. The test is free and the truck is out of service for the duration, so plan it for a week you are not riding.

Next, NHTSA 24V-652, on the instrument panel cluster of 2020 through 2024 Gladiator JT and 2018 through 2024 Wrangler JL. Dealers will replace the cluster free of charge, and letters went out over the winter of 2024 into 2025. A cluster fault means you can lose the speedometer and warning lamps, and on a plated vehicle that is both a legal problem and a practical one: a coolant temperature warning you never see is how a hot August drive turns into a head gasket.

NHTSA 25V-527 is filed under tire pressure monitoring on 2024 and 2025 Wrangler JL vehicles, but the actual remedy is an inspection and replacement of the remote start antenna cable. The connection is that a pinched antenna cable can stop the TPMS warning light illuminating as intended, so the system may not warn you when it should. Airing down for a trail and airing back up for the highway is exactly when you rely on that warning, and the correct pressures for your tires and load are in your manual, not here.

The fourth is NHTSA 24V-871, on 2024 Wrangler JL, where the incorrect dash wiring harness may have been fitted. Dealers will inspect and replace the harness as necessary at no charge. Wiring campaigns are worth taking seriously on a vehicle that gets accessories added: a light bar or a winch wired into a harness that was already wrong is a fault nobody will be able to diagnose later.

August heat is the seasonal thread. The truck-class reminders on this site put differential fluid at fifteen thousand miles and note that water crossings can contaminate a diff without any outward sign. Summer is when most crossings happen, and a diff full of milky fluid will not complain until the bearings are gone. If you crossed anything deep this month, pull the fill plug and look, even if the mileage does not say it is due.

The same goes for brakes. Ten thousand miles is the inspection reminder, but trail descents and mud both accelerate wear, and a long August in the Rockies or Appalachia can use up pads far faster than the road-going interval expects. Look at them, and check the fluid for the dark color that says moisture has got in.

A word on accessories, since all three of this week's Jeep campaigns are electrical. A Wrangler with an open cluster or harness recall is a poor candidate for a new light bar, compressor or auxiliary switch panel until the factory work is done, because any fault that appears afterwards will be blamed on the installer and the recall history will muddy the warranty conversation. Get the dealer visit done, then wire in the extras, and keep the recall completion paperwork with the vehicle.

As always, none of this replaces the VIN search. Every campaign here is free of charge, every one is listed on the NHTSA recall page, and a search takes less time than reading this roundup. If the previous owner told you it was all done, that is nice to hear, but the database is what a dealer will act on.