In November 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation opened a preliminary evaluation into complaints from 2019 model year Ford Expedition owners alleging the inadvertent deployment of the front seatbelt pretensioners. Of the 10 complaints identified at the time, one resulted in an injury.
Three months after the federal watchdog started looking into this matter, the Ford Motor Company issued a safety recall for both the Explorer and its Lincoln-branded sibling. An estimated 77,574 vehicles need to be inspected, namely truck-based SUVs produced for the 2018 through 2020 model years at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville.
Based on the F-150 pickup truck's frame, suspect vehicles were assembled between October 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019. As per the chronology of events published on the NHTSA's site, FoMoCo started investigating the inadvertent deployment of the front seatbelt pretensioners in September 2021.
Back then, Ford was aware of four reports that occurred between July 2021 and September 2021 in Middle Eastern markets. Supplied by ZF, the front seatbelt retractor pretensioners were found to feature corrosion on the squib pins where the bridge wire is welded. Even if the retractor pretensioner doesn't fire correctly, CAE analysis determined that the system would meet regulatory requirements.
Ford's engineers singled out two primary causal factors for the corroded squib pins, beginning with high moisture content sealed in the squibs. In December 2023, the American manufacturer reviewed a drain seal change that occurred at the start of production in 2019. More specifically, the drain seal on the right front floor may increase humidity when MAX A/C is used for extended periods of time, contributing to the corrosion.
Photo: Ford
Another hypothesis is partial separation at the weld due to an undefined supplier manufacturing issue. Whatever the root cause may be, inadvertent deployment of the front seatbelt pretensioners would result in locked seatbelts that cannot be retracted or extended by the front occupants.
At the moment of reporting, the Dearborn-based automaker is aware of 140 reports of inadvertent deployment (spread between 119 vehicles), of which six reports alleged unspecified injuries. You can further add to those five additional NHTSA vehicle owner questionnaires alleging injuries.
Dealers have already been instructed to have the seatbelt retractors inspected for suspect production date codes. Any pretensioner assembly found to be suspect will be replaced with assemblies manufactured outside of the suspect window. Dealers will also inspect for the presence of an HVAC drain tube elbow and – if not present – install one at no charge to the vehicle's owner.
Ford-branded envelopes will be mailed to known owners in the period between March 4 and March 8. In the meantime, 2018 to 2020 model year Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator owners can easily determine whether their sport utility vehicles are recalled or not by entering the 17-character VIN on Ford's, Lincoln's, or the agency's website.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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