United States

About 2 Million Ford F-150s Recalled Over Seat Belt Device Fire Risk

The affected vehicles have model years between 2015 and 2018

A fire risk in seat belts in some recent Ford F-150s prompted the automaker to recall about 2 million of them in North America.

Sparks can fly when seat belts are suddenly tightened, according to the company and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Seventeen instances of smoke or fire related to the recall were reported to Ford in the United States and six in Canada, but no associated accidents or injuries have been reported. The NHTSA said it had received five complaints from owners of F-150s who reported fires involving the pretensioner.

The fire risk comes from a device called a seat belt pretensioner, which quickly tightens the seat belt in crash conditions to secure the person in the seat. Sparks from the devices in the recall can ignite gases in the car which can then cause insulation and carpet to catch fire.

About 1.6 million Ford F-150 vehicles with model years between 2015 and 2018 in the U.S. are being recalled, along with about 340,000 in Canada. Customers affected by the recall can bring their trucks to dealers, who will fire-proof the affected part of the vehicles at no cost, Ford said.

Contact Us