Ford and its Lincoln luxury division have recalled 240,510 Ford Explorer SUVs and Lincoln Aviator SUVs, all from model years 2020 and 2021, because their seat belts may not be properly secured.
The company tells the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), “Affected vehicles may have an improperly secured seatbelt buckle anchor bolt at one or more seating positions.” Some may also have an improperly secured anchor at the retractor in some second-row seats.
That could keep the seat belts from restraining an occupant during a crash.
“Customers may notice noise in the form of squeak and rattle in the event of an improperly secured anchor bolt,” Ford says. But silence doesn’t mean your car is safe. If you get a recall notice, have the vehicle repaired immediately.
Ford says it is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the problem.
Dealers will inspect the bolts. If they find anything loose, Ford says, “affected seat components will be replaced.”
Recall repairs are always free, but automakers consistently tell us it’s hard to get customers to take recalls seriously.
Carmakers try to notify the owners of recalled vehicles, but those efforts aren’t always 100% effective. To check if your car is part of a recall, try our easy VIN check tool in our recall center.