Ford is issuing a recall for approximately 2 million select 2015-18 Ford F-150 Regular Cab and SuperCrew Cab vehicles in North America for driver and front passenger seat belt pretensioners. A pretensioner is the device which pulls the seat belt tight in an accident.
Ford’s investigation found that some front seat belt pretensioners can generate excessive sparks when they deploy. When sufficient sparks are present, gases exhausted inside the lower portion of the B-pillar by the pretensioners may ignite. If this gas ignites, components behind the B-pillar such as insulation and carpet may subsequently catch fire.
Ford is aware of 17 reports of smoke or fire in the United States and six in Canada. Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries as a result of this condition.
Affected vehicles include:
- 2015-18 Ford F-150 vehicles built at Dearborn Assembly Plant, March 12, 2014 through Aug. 23, 2018
- 2015-18 Ford F-150 vehicles built at Kansas City Assembly Plant, Aug. 20, 2014 through Aug. 23, 2018
There are approximately 1,995,776 vehicles in North America relating to this concern, with 1,619,112 vehicles in the United States and its federalized territories, 339,884 in Canada and 36,780 in Mexico. The Ford reference number for this recall is 18S27.
Dealers will remove insulation material from the B-pillar trim, remove remnants of wiring harness tape in the B-pillar area, and apply heat-resistant tape to the carpet and its insulation. Dealers also will modify the back interior panels of Regular Cab vehicles. All repairs will be provided at no cost to customers.
