Ford Transit Trail Recall Fix Kills Its Ground Clearance

The U.S.-bound Ford Transit Trail officially debuted back in November 2022 for the 2023 model year, offering adventure seekers a more capable version of the best-selling van – as well as one that’s more upfit-friendly for those that aim to transform it into a camper or overlander. The Ford Transit Trail accomplishes that goal in part thanks to 3.5 inches of additional ride height compared to the regular Transit, and is equipped with 16-inch black alloy wheels wrapped with 30.5-inch Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse all-terrain tires.  Problem is, the automaker recalled the Transit Trail roughly one month ago over an issue with the tires making contact with other components, though its proposed fix for that problem likely won’t go over well with owners, according to The Drive.

In its recall, Ford noted that the Transit Trail’s tires may contact the front wheel arch liner and body flange, causing damage to the tires, which could lead to a sudden loss of air pressure or tread separation, causing a loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash. However, at the time, the automaker noted that it was working on a fix for that issue, which it planned to share at a later date.

That fix, it seems, is replacing the existing 30.5-inch, 245/75R16 tires that come with the Transit Trail from the factory to smaller, 28-inch, 235/65R16 tires – the same size used on regular Transit variants. It’s unclear if these new tires will also be Goodyear Wrangler Workhorses or something else, but the size reduction alone will effectively reduce the van’s ground clearance from 6.7 inches to 5.5 inches.

As it turns out, Ford contracted the Transit Trail out to an upfitter, which apparently didn’t take the time to verify that the original 30.5-inch tires would fit and not cause these rubbing issues. Regardless, swapping them out with smaller tires negates one of the biggest selling points of this rugged van, though for now at least, the Transit Trail’s wheel kit is still available to purchase from the Blue Oval catalog.

We’ll have more on the Ford Transit Trail soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford Transit news and ongoing Ford news coverage.