Week in Off-Road: Bronco harness notices, Raptor camera filing and brake week

Ford took most of the safety desk's attention this week. 26V-489, filed at the end of July, covers 2021 to 2023 F-150 trucks on the Raptor platform fitted with the 8-inch SYNC screen. A software error can cause the rearview camera image to be obstructed by the infotainment home screen menu in reverse, which fails the federal rear visibility standard. The remedy is an APIM software update at a dealer or over the air, and interim letters were due in early August with the final remedy to follow.

Alongside it, 26V-468 on the Bronco U725 platform is a phased campaign covering 2021 to 2026 Bronco and Bronco Raptor. The engine compartment wiring harness may become damaged and short circuit; dealers will install sheathing over the wiring. Phase one, 2026 Bronco Raptor owners, were due to be notified at the end of July, with 2021 to 2025 Bronco Raptor in mid-August and the remaining Bronco builds after that. If you have a Bronco and have not had a letter, that is expected.

Toyota's 25V-656 on the 2025 Tacoma, where the front driveshaft CV joint may deform and break, had owner letters going out in the second week of August. Dealers inspect and replace both front driveshaft assemblies as necessary. Jeep owners should keep an eye on 26V-456, the 2026 Wrangler JL and Gladiator JT steel wheel campaign filed in mid-July, with letters expected in early September.

Maintenance week was brakes, which is the one job that spans every class on the site. The UTV and ATV files put pad and fluid inspection at 50 hours or six months. Trucks and SUVs are at 10,000 miles. Dirt bikes are at 20 hours, because the pads are small and wear fast in mud. The explainer's point was that water crossings and mud eat pads far faster than road use, so the interval is a ceiling, not a target.

The problems database backed that up with its entry on parking brake and rear brake drag from mud, which is a common complaint after a wet weekend. The piece walked through the difference between drag from packed mud, which clears with a wash and a few stops, and drag from a seized slider or a swollen seal, which does not. If a wheel is hot after a road drive with no braking, it is the second kind.

The upgrade desk covered full doors for the RZR, the Pro Armor set in the parts database, ahead of dune season, and ran a piece on rock sliders for the Honda Talon 1000R and the Jeep Gladiator JT. It also looked at the Fox 2.0 Performance shocks for the Wrangler JL as a first step before a lift, tying that to the problems file's entry on death wobble after a lift or worn front-end parts.

The trails desk's weekend guides covered Appalachia and the Midwest. Hatfield-McCoy in West Virginia, Spearhead in Virginia, Windrock in Tennessee and the Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area in Pennsylvania were the Appalachian picks, all of which run permit systems. In the Midwest, Badlands Off Road Park in Indiana, the Wayne National Forest trails in Ohio and Iron Range in Minnesota featured. Confirm permit requirements and any closures with the managing agency before you go.

The Desert Southwest stayed off the weekend guides for another few weeks, because midsummer daytime riding there is genuinely dangerous. The season turns in autumn, and the desk will start pointing readers at Johnson Valley, Ocotillo Wells and Sand Hollow once the heat breaks. In the meantime the learn section's piece on water crossings without damage is the one to read before an Appalachian weekend, because the creek crossings at Hatfield-McCoy and Windrock are where the brake and diff advice above stops being theoretical.

The safety desk also re-ran its standing note on stop-drive campaigns. Three of the fastener campaigns on the Bronco list, 23V-283 on 2023 lug nuts and 25V-260 and 25V-308 on 2025 and 2024 to 2025 control arm fasteners, carried advice not to drive until repaired. Those are older and should be closed on most trucks by now, but a used 2023 to 2025 Bronco is worth a VIN check before the first trail day.

Upcoming: the Sand Sports Super Show in Costa Mesa is listed for mid-September, and Overland Expo East in Arrington, Virginia is listed for mid-October, which is the one Appalachian readers ask about. Check the organizer for dates. Next week the maintenance desk turns to dust and air filters.