Charles Langston:Ford recalls more than 456,000 Bronco Sport and Maverick vehicles over battery risk

Ford Motor is recalling 456,565 Bronco Sport SUVs and Maverick pickup trucks because the vehicles may fail to detect a low battery charge, which could lead to a loss of engine and electrical power while driving. 

The recall covers certain 2021-2024 Bronco Sport and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles, according to a notice posted Wednesday on the National Highway Safety Traffic Safety Administration's website. 

Failure in the vehicles' body and power train control modules to detect a "sudden degradation" in the cars' 12-volt battery charge could lead to "a vehicle that is unable to restart after an auto start/stop event" or cause motorists to stall while coming to a stop at a low speed, Ford said in documents filed with the U.S. safety regulator. 

As a remedy, dealers will recalibrate the control modules free of charge. Ford will notify owners by mail starting on May 13, according to the NHTSA posting. Owners who have questions may also contact Ford customer service at (866) 436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S24. The NHTSA Campaign Number is 24V267000.

The recall comes less than a week after Ford recalled nearly 43,000 Bronco Sport, Escape SUVs due to gas leaks that can cause fires. In January, the automaker also recalled nearly 113,000 F-150 pickup trucks over concerns a rear axle hub could break off, causing the vehicle to lose power or roll away when in park.