Ford issues recall for nearly 420,000 vehicles over seat belt defect
FILE-A general view of the Ford logo on a vehicle. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
The Ford Motor Company has recalled 419,967 vehicles connected to a faulty seat belt problem.
In a May 27 recall notice, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration explained that seat belts that don’t retract or extend may fail or restrain a person in the vehicle, elevating the risk of an injury or crash.
Which Ford vehicles were recalled?
Why you should care:
Ford’s recall affects certain 2018-2022 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials say that the "seat belt pretensioner" in the driver and/or front passenger seat could inadvertently lock the seat belt, preventing the belt from retracting or extending.
Are repairs available for the recalled Ford vehicles?
What you can do:
Owners of the recalled Ford vehicles can take them to their local dealership where technicians will assess and replace the seat belt retractors if needed for free.
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Interim letters to notify owners of the safety hazard will be mailed on June 8, with additional letters mailed once a remedy is available, which are expected in August.
Anyone with questions about the recall can call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this recall replaces and expands previous NHTSA recalls 24V099 and 25V197. Cars previously evaluated or repaired under the prior recalls will need the new repair completed.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall notice. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.