If you bought a 2026 or 2027 Ford F-150 or a 2026 Super Duty built in late spring, the left cable holding up your open tailgate may be the weak one. Ford filed the Ford tailgate cable recall with NHTSA on October 20, 2026, covering 30,123 trucks, and dealers will swap the cable for free. Our take: the odds your truck has a bad part are small, but you can’t check your VIN until December 7, so treat the open tailgate as off-limits for heavy loads until then.
Quick answer: Ford is recalling 30,123 2026–2027 F-150 and 2026 F-250, F-350 and F-450 Super Duty trucks because the left-side tailgate cable can fail under heavy loads, letting the tailgate drop onto the rear bumper. Dealers will replace the cable free. VINs become searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 7, 2026.
Which F-150 and Super Duty trucks are in the recall?
NHTSA campaign 26V689 lists the 2026 and 2027 F-150 plus the 2026 F-250, F-350 and F-450 Super Duty. Ford’s internal number is 26S78. According to the recall documents summarized by autoevolution on November 2, 2026, the affected trucks were built between May 30 and June 15, 2026. The F-150 makes up the biggest share at 18,412 units, and the F-250 adds 7,387.
Autoevolution’s write-up mentions 2027 Super Duty trucks too, but NHTSA’s record lists Super Duty models for 2026 only. We’re going with NHTSA.
You can narrow it down today. The certification label on the driver’s door jamb prints the month and year the truck was built. Anything stamped 05/26 or 06/26 is worth checking once the lookup opens.
What went wrong with the F-150 tailgate cable?
The problem is a single crimp. An open tailgate hangs on two steel cables, each ending in a pressed-on eyelet. Autoevolution reports that Ohio supplier Cable Manufacturing & Assembly Co. ran a broken crimping die for two shifts on May 26, 2026.
Workers at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant caught it on June 13, 2026, during open-gate load tests, when left-hand cables pulled out of their eyelets. Roughly 600 suspect cables reached Ford, and Ford estimates about 2% of the 30,123 trucks actually carry one. The math lines up: 2% of the recall population is about 602 trucks.
When the left eyelet lets go, one cable can’t keep the gate level, so the tailgate swings down onto the rear bumper with whatever was on it. NHTSA calls that an increased risk of injury. Ford told regulators it had no warranty claims or field reports tied to the defect.
Is it safe to load your tailgate before the fix?
Grabbing groceries or sitting on the gate puts a light load across both cables. The risk is concentrated weight. Picture ramping a dirt bike or an ATV into the bed. As the wheels cross the open tailgate, nearly the full weight of the machine sits on the gate for a second or two.
Until you know your VIN is clear, lift heavy items over the closed tailgate, or use a ramp setup that rests on the bed floor instead of the tailgate edge. You can keep driving: the defect doesn’t affect how the truck drives or tows.
When will Ford tailgate cable recall letters arrive?
The timeline is slow. VINs go live on NHTSA.gov on December 7, 2026, and interim letters warning owners are due around December 14. A second letter is expected in January 2027, once replacement cables are ready. Autoevolution reports dealers get formally notified on January 11, 2027, so a dealer can’t do the swap yet even if you ask.
Shopping for a new F-150 right now? Ford put a stop-ship order on the affected trucks, according to autoevolution, so an unsold truck from that build window should get the new cable before delivery. Ask the salesperson to print an open-recall check for the VIN before you sign.
How does this compare with Ford’s other 2026 truck recalls?
Scale-wise it’s small. Ford’s earlier speedometer recall on Super Duty and F-150 trucks covered 102,159 vehicles, more than three times this campaign.
Nothing here touches the powertrain, including the new standard 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 on Ford’s 2027 F-150 media page, or the 2027 Super Duty engine lineup change. If you’re cross-shopping a Silverado, GM is working through its own 6.2L V8 recall on Silverado pickups.
The number that defines the Ford tailgate cable recall is 2%: roughly 600 bad cables spread across 30,123 trucks. Yours is probably fine. Check the door-jamb build date now and run your VIN on December 7. Until then, keep the dirt bike off the open gate.
Your F-150 tailgate recall questions
How do I check if my Ford F-150 is in the tailgate cable recall?
Enter your 17-digit VIN on NHTSA.gov starting December 7, 2026, when VINs for Ford recall 26S78 go live. Before then, read the build date on the driver’s door-jamb label. Ford reported that the affected trucks were built between May 30 and June 15, 2026, so other build months fall outside the window.
How much does the Ford tailgate cable fix cost?
Nothing. Dealers will replace the left-side tailgate cable free of charge under NHTSA campaign 26V689. Parts aren’t ready yet, so Ford plans to mail a second letter once the remedy is available, expected in January 2027. You can call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 with questions about your truck.
Can I still drive my truck while waiting for the recall repair?
Yes. The defect only affects the left cable that holds the tailgate level when it’s open, and NHTSA hasn’t issued a park-it warning. Driving and towing aren’t affected. The sensible precaution is to keep heavy, concentrated loads off the open tailgate, such as ramping a motorcycle or ATV across it, until the cable is replaced.