When the team at The Fast Lane Truck (TFLtruck) recently put the 2025 Ford Maverick Hybrid all-wheel drive through its paces, we saw an opportunity to make the 2026 Maverick, which offers the lowest starting at MSRP of any pickup in America1, even better.
While TFLtruck’s overall assessment was positive, their tire slip test highlighted an opportunity for improvement with the all-wheel drive system.
Adding an all-wheel drive option to Maverick’s hybrid powertrain was a top request from customers when Maverick first went on sale. We were thrilled to deliver that capability, but real-world testing like TFLtruck’s slip test, which simulates a total loss of traction on three wheels, pushed our engineering further. In their test, the vehicle’s traction control system struggled to shift enough power to the single wheel with grip to move the truck forward.
Originally, our traction control calibration for the Maverick Hybrid AWD focused primarily on-road. In typical low traction conditions, like icy or rain-slicked streets, the system was designed to minimize wheel spin to keep the vehicle stable. However, in rare cases where three wheels might be spinning on ice, mud, or crossing a ditch, the Maverick AWD traction control system wasn't sending enough power to the one wheel that still had grip to overcome the obstacle.
Our Brake Controls team immediately went to work. Maverick can automatically use its brakes to stop its wheels from slipping in low traction conditions while sending power to the opposite wheel that does have traction. They wanted to fundamentally improve how the Maverick Hybrid AWD handles complex terrain. To do this, they adapted the traction control approach used in our 2.0-liter gas-powered off-road models for the unique requirements of the hybrid powertrain.
The team re-calibrated the system to achieve a more aggressive torque transfer. Now, when the system detects a wheel spinning without grip, it quickly pinches that slipping wheel with the brakes and redirects power to the wheels that have traction.
To close the loop, we provided TFLtruck with a 2026 Maverick Hybrid AWD featuring the new calibration. They put it through the exact same gauntlet, and the results spoke for themselves: the truck confidently navigated the obstacles that had previously held it back.
We successfully implemented this improved calibration into the production of the 2026 Maverick Hybrid AWD. For these owners, the change means increased confidence on snowy driveways or rutted dirt roads. We are also working to release this new traction calibration as an Over-The-Air (OTA)2 update for our existing 2025 Maverick Hybrid AWD customers. We’ll share more information about timing soon.
In addition, we are modifying our internal engineering test procedures to include three-wheel roller test modes as a standard part of our evaluation process. By raising our own internal bar, we ensure future Ford vehicles are even better equipped for the unexpected.
This transition from a real-world insight to a production enhancement reflects the heart of Ford’s engineering philosophy. We are constantly refining our methods and challenging our teams to deliver more. This is the Ford way: a culture of continuous improvement that prioritizes the customer experience in everything we do.
Abby Grajek is Maverick integration engineer at Ford Motor Company.
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1 Current Starting at Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) $28,145. 2026 Ford Maverick® XL model with 2.5L Hybrid (Base model). Excludes destination/delivery fee plus government fees and taxes, any finance charges, any dealer processing charge, any electronic filing charge, and any emission testing charge. Optional equipment not included.
2 An activated vehicle modem and the Ford app (formerly known as the FordPass® app) are required to remotely schedule software updates. See Owner's Manual for more information.
