Ford quietly discontinued one of its off-road vehicles but don’t worry, it’s not the Bronco or any of the Raptor models. It’s the Ford Transit Trail which you may have forgot existed unless you’re an influencer living that #VanLife.
Ford introduced the Transit Trail in late 2022 during the tail end of the vanlife boom. It was an off-road ready van with chunky Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse tires, 3.5 more inches of ground clearance and upgraded underbody protection. Inside was a blank slate, but came with lots of spot for building in power and amenities needed to make the Transit a home.
It seem the $65,000 Transit Trail died a quiet death, according to Ford Authority, after the model fell off the Big Blue Oval’s website without fanfare.
What could lead Ford to get rid of a model that’s barely been on sale three model years? It would seem that supply chain issues are an ongoing problem as Ford Pro communications manager Elizabeth Kraft confirmed to us.
On-going challenges in the supply chain and part availability constraints impacted 2023 and 2024 Transit vans equipped with the Trail package, so we made the decision to remove package availability from the 25MY Transit program while we prioritize delivering parts and service to customers with impacted vehicles.
It’s worth noting that the Transit Trail may not be gone for long. Kraft said that Ford is continuing to look at demand for the Transit Trail to assess “ demand to determine future viability.”
Just how is demand though? It would seem the market for pricey lifestyle isn’t as big as it once was. We asked Ford if they knew how many Transit Trails have been sold since its introduction. While Ford confirmed that exact sales numbers on the Transit Trail aren’t known since it’s more a package than a model line, Ford did confirm that it saw a decrease in demand across all segments of the motorhome industry following the Pandemic.
The Transit Trail was not without problems during its brief existence. Ford Authority mentions that in March 2024, a recall was issued after it was discovered that the factory fitted 30.5-inch, 245/75R16 could come in contact with the front wheel arch liner and damage the tires. So Ford fitted affected vans with 28-inch, 235/65R16 tires, knocking 1.2 inches of ground clearance from the Trail. Another recall was issued a few months later over a possible loss in power steering.
Even with these issues the Transit Trail was unique. Unless you go aftermarket or spend big money for a Mercedes Sprinter, no one else sells anything like it.
Note: Ford reached back out to us and clarified that while it does know the sales volumes of the Transit Trail, the general rule is that they don’t share that information with anyone outside of the company.