Recall Date: 5/27/2026
NHTSA ID: 26V344
MFr. Campaign Number: 26S34
Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Affected Components: Front Seatbelt Retractor Pretensioner Assembly (driver and front passenger)
Potential Number of Units Affected: 419,967
Which Ford and Lincoln vehicles are affected?
This recall covers two model lines: the 2018–2022 Lincoln Navigator (77,684 vehicles) and the 2018–2022 Ford Expedition (342,283 vehicles) — for a total of 419,967 vehicles. Ford estimates approximately 3% of the population carries the active defect. The action supersedes two earlier safety recalls on the same vehicle lines: 24S06 (NHTSA Recall 24V099) and 25S31 (NHTSA Recall 25V197). Affected vehicles are not built in VIN order, so owners should verify their VIN through their local Ford or Lincoln dealer or by calling Ford's toll-free line at 1-866-436-7332.
The defect is in the front seatbelt retractor pretensioners — both the driver and front passenger units. The propellant inside the pretensioner's micro gas generator can degrade in high-heat environments, producing corrosive by-products that oxidize internal components over time. That corrosion can create high electrical resistance or an open circuit, which can trigger an inadvertent deployment of the pretensioner. The primary seatbelt locking function continues to operate normally. The component supplier is ZF Lifetec.
What drivers need to know
An inadvertent deployment locks the front seatbelt in position so it can no longer retract or extend — noticeable to the occupant immediately. A seatbelt that cannot retract or extend can result in injury during a crash, and the rapid retraction of the pretensioner itself can also cause occupant injury. Ford is aware of one injury globally connected to this condition that was not captured under the prior 24S06 or 25S31 recalls. There is one warning: an airbag malfunction light on the instrument cluster typically illuminates before an inadvertent deployment occurs.
The remedy is an inspect-and-replace program. Owners will be instructed to bring their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer, where both front seat belt retractors will be inspected. Retractors that fall within the suspect production date range — those built with the legacy propellant and stabilizer combination — will be replaced with units containing a newer propellant formulation that demonstrated significantly higher chemical stability in Ford's testing. There is no charge for the service.
Ford notified dealers between May 29 and June 5, 2026. Interim owner notification letters are mailing between June 8 and June 12, 2026, with remedy owner letters scheduled to mail between August 31 and September 4, 2026. VINs became searchable in the NHTSA recall database on May 29, 2026.
Ford recall background
This recall is the culmination of an investigation that began with Ford's Critical Concern Review Group in January 2026, when the team set out to evaluate inadvertent pretensioner deployments occurring outside the populations covered by 24S06 and 25S31. By February 2026, the investigation had narrowed in on a specific propellant-and-stabilizer combination used in retractor pretensioners built before a Tier 2 supplier change in February 2022. Through March and April, Ford's Restraints Engineering team confirmed the hypothesis: the legacy propellant can become unstable in high-heat environments, producing the corrosive by-products that cause squib pin and bridgewire corrosion. Testing of newer-propellant warranty returns in May 2026 confirmed that those units demonstrated significantly higher chemical stability.
At nearly 420,000 vehicles, this is one of the larger Ford-Lincoln safety actions of the year, and it consolidates a multi-year pretensioner concern into a single, more comprehensive recall population. For a broader view of Ford recall activity, see BizzyCar's Q1 2026 Recall Report.
How BizzyCar can help
Nearly 420,000 vehicles across two body styles, with remedy letters not landing in mailboxes until late August or early September, give dealers a multi-month window to identify affected customers and begin reaching out before official notifications arrive. The inspect-and-replace nature of the repair also means scheduling needs to account for variable shop time — units inside the suspect production window require replacement, others only inspection.
BizzyCar Recall Outreach cross-references a dealer's customer database against open recall data to identify which vehicles are affected. From there, BizzyCar's AI agent reaches out to those owners through automated two-way SMS — scheduling appointments without requiring service advisors to work through a calling list. Dealers who move early on recall outreach consistently capture more ROs than dealers who wait for owners to self-schedule after the letter arrives.
Ready to see how BizzyCar can automate recall response at your dealership? Book a demo.