Ford recalls 420,000 US Expedition and Navigator SUVs

Ford Motor Company is recalling nearly 420,000 vehicles in the United States due to a faulty seat belt component that could inadvertently lock, preventing the belt from retracting or extending properly and increasing the risk of injury in a crash. The recall, announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, affects certain 2018 through 2022 model year Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs.

The safety issue involves the seat belt pretensioner, a device designed to tighten the belt during a collision. In the recalled vehicles, the pretensioner in the driver and front passenger seats can deploy unintentionally, locking the seat belt in place. A belt that cannot move normally may fail to properly restrain an occupant during a crash. In some instances, the force of the unexpected deployment itself could also cause injury.

This new recall replaces and expands two previous NHTSA actions addressing the same problem. Ford's investigation found that the propellant inside certain pretensioners can degrade after prolonged exposure to high temperatures, forming corrosive byproducts that damage internal components and may trigger an unintended deployment. The company...