Ford Tells Vehicle Owners Not to Drive F-150 Pickup Due to Seat Belt Defect

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Ford F-150 Recall Overview: 

• Who: automobile manufacturer Ford Motor Company
• Why: The front seatbelts on the Ford F-150 SuperCab are being recalled as they may not be routed correctly, which could lead to malfunction during a collision.  
• Where: Nationwide.

Hot on the heels of recalling 16,430 of the country’s most popular vehicle, Ford has told  F-150 pickup owners to stop driving the vehicles if they fail a self-inspection seat belt test.

Last week, the company announced it was recalling more than 16,400 2021 Ford F-150 SuperCab pickups because the front seatbelts may not be routed correctly. The faulty seat belts may not work properly in a collision, potentially injuring drivers and passengers.  

Owners can bring affected vehicles to a Ford dealer for a free inspection and replacement starting Sept. 6. Ford said, starting Sept. 7, vehicle owners will be sent instructions on how to check the seat belts for improper assembly on both the driver and passenger sides of the vehicle.

Dealers will inspect the seat belts to verify they are routed correctly through the anchor’s metal eyelet and anchored to the pretensioner assembly, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said. If the inspection fails, the dealer will replace the affected parts.

So far, Ford says it is not aware of any reports of accidents or injuries related to the issue.

In the recall notice, Ford said the affected vehicles were manufactured between Jan. 2 and May 27. The company’s Regular Cab and Crew Cab vehicles use a different seat belt assembly and are not part of the recall, NHTSA said.

Ford F-150 Seat Belt With Defect was Manufactured at Joyson Safety Systems in Japan

The manufacturers of the seat belt assemblies, Joyson Safety Systems, purchased defunct airbag maker Takata Corp. in 2018. In 2020, an investigation at Joyson’s Japan unit showed test data on seat belt webbing was doctored at plants in Hikone, Japan, and the Philippines to meet legal and client standards at two plants, Automotive News reports.

However, a Joyson spokesperson told the outlet that the Ford recall is unrelated to the investigation in Japan.

This isn’t the only recall Ford has faced this year. In February, Ford was asked to call back more than 150,000 vehicles to make sure they weren’t installed with 45 banned airbag inflators made by Takata that can’t be found. 

As of February, approximately 67 million Takata airbags had been recalled since 2013 due to the risk, NHTSA said, and the airbag fault has been tied to 17 deaths and more than 200 injuries in the United States.

Let us know if this Ford recall affects you in the comments section!

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