Ford Motor Company is recalling 240,000 SUVs because their seatbelts might not have been properly secured during the assembly process. The recall affects the 2020-2021 Ford Explorer and 2020-2021 Lincoln Aviator. According to the recall notice, the vehicles could have improperly secured seatbelt anchor bolts at one or more seats.
Ford isn’t sure about the potential cause of the insecure bolts, but it believes the supplier “may have performed undocumented rework of seats outside of standard operating procedure," according to the recall report. Owners could hear a squeak or rattle from potentially problematic seatbelt anchor and anchor retractor bolts.
The automaker first learned of the issue on November 5 before opening an official investigation on December 10. After visiting the supplier and reviewing records, Ford decided to issue a recall for Explorers and Aviators built between October 2018 and June 2020.
The improperly secured bolts might not properly restrain a passenger during an accident, increasing the risk of injury or worse. However, the automaker said it is unaware of any accidents or injuries related to this issue.
Ford said it knows of four warranty claims regarding loose or missing anchor bolts. It also received one complaint from Transport Canada, the country’s agency that regulates the transportation industry, which initially kicked off the automaker's investigation.
Source: National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
