Ford recalls 420,000 Expedition, Navigator SUVs over seat belt defect

Ford recently announced a recall affecting nearly 420,000 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator sport utility vehicles (SUVs) over an issue with seat belts locking and potentially causing injury to occupants during a crash.

The auto recall covers 342,283 Ford Expedition vehicles from model years 2018 to 2022, as well as 77,684 Lincoln Navigators in the same model years.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall report explains that the seat belt retractor pretensioners may inadvertently deploy on the driver and front passenger seat belts, causing them to be in a locked position and unable to retract or extend.

The issue is noticeable to occupants and could cause injuries in the result of a crash because the seat belt wouldn’t retract or extend. The report notes that in some cases, the inadvertent deployment could injure occupants due to rapid seatbelt retraction.

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The problem is caused by the degradation of the propellant used in the retractor pretensioner, which can occur in high-heat environments that result in the oxidation of internal components and, over time, lead to the inadvertent deployment of the pretensioner.

Owners of affected vehicles may notice an airbag malfunction light illuminating on their instrument cluster before an inadvertent deployment of the seat belt retractor pretensioner.

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Ford conducted a series of tests and investigations into the issue starting in January 2026 following two previous recalls related to seat belt pretensioners, leading to its decision in May to issue a field service action.

The automaker said it’s aware of one injury globally that was related to this issue.

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Owners of vehicles covered by the recall will be notified by mail and take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealership to have both front seat belt retractors inspected and to replace retractors that fall within the suspect production date range in which they may have been produced with the legacy propellant and stabilizer.

The mailing of interim vehicle owner notification letters is expected to begin next week on June 8 and completed by June 12. Mailing of remedy owner notification letters is expected to begin on Aug. 31 and be completed by Sept. 4.