Ford Pickup Truck and SUV Recalls Issued Over Risk of Seatback Failure in Accidents

Ford Motors has issued a recall that impacts more than half a million pickup trucks and SUVs, after discovering that problems with the reclining mechanism in driver and passenger seatbacks may fail in the event of an accident, increasing the risk of serious injury.

The Ford recall was announced by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on September 3, after determining the seatback assembly may lack the required strength to protect passengers in the event of a collision.

The vehicles impacted by the recall are equipped with manual reclining seat mechanism that lack a third pawl, which is required to lock the seat and prevent it from moving until the occupant manually disengages the lever.

According to the NHTSA, the mechanisms have been deemed inadequate and in violation of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards numbers 202, “Head Restraints” and 207, “Seating Systems.”

If the seat locking mechanism fails during a crash, occupants could be subject to a variety of increased injury risks such as the seat sliding toward, or away from the deploying air bag, increased whiplash, and it could jeopardize the function of the seat belt and pretensioners.

The recall includes approximately 550,186 model year 2019 through 2020 Ford Expeditions, 2018 through 2020 Ford Explorers, 2018 through 2020 Ford F-150 models, 2020 Lincoln Aviators, and 2019 through 2020 F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 models.

The vehicles were manufactured by Ford Motor Company of Dearborn, Michigan. They were distributed for sale throughout the United States to licensed dealers.

Ford has announced they will begin notifying customers of the recall and will provide instructions on how to schedule a free repair appointment at their local dealer, where dealers will be instructed to inspect the seat structure and replace them, as necessary.

The recall is anticipated to begin by October 7, 2019 when parts become available. Customers with additional questions or concerns regarding the recall may contact Ford Customer Service at 1-866-436-7332 and reference the recall campaign number 19C07.