Future Unibody Ford Pickups Could Get Unique Air Venting System

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for an air venting system that may be used in future unibody Ford pickups, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on June 1^st, 2020, published on March 25^th, 2025, and assigned serial number 12257879.

The Ford Authority Take

The Blue Oval has filed a few patents aimed at potential future innovations for unibody pickups – which only includes the Ford Maverick at the moment – including an idea for a midgate, as well as a two-panel cab back and a system capable of purging air out of a vehicle’s cabin. Now, this newly published patent presents us with another new idea that could one day be used in unibody Ford pickups like the Maverick – an air venting system.

The concept here is to find a way to vent air from the passenger compartment or cab of a unibody pickup, which typically don’t have separate cabs and beds like traditional body-on-frame models. Since there’s generally no gap between those two sections as a result, this presents the opportunity to add an air extractor in the bed, which could be used to ventilate the passenger portion of those vehicles.

It’s a simple idea, and in this case, would involve adding vents in a hidden area in the back panel of the cab. Ford also notes that these vents could be covered by a bed liner, if so desired. Regardless, it’s an interesting concept, and one that may very well make its way to production at some point in the future.

“Submitting patent applications is a normal part of any strong business as the process protects new ideas and helps us build a robust portfolio of intellectual property,” Ford said in a statement. “The ideas described within a patent application should not be viewed as an indication of our business or product plans. No matter what the patent application outlines, we will always put the customer first in the decision-making behind the development and marketing of new products and services.”