Ford is recalling 240,510 vehicles in the U.S. due to seat belt buckles that may not properly secure individuals during an accident, as reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The announced recall affects the 2020 and 2021 Ford Explorer, as well as the 2020-21 Lincoln Aviator. Ford expects that about 1% of the vehicles being recalled will have defective seat belts, according to a Ford spokesperson.
To date, the NHTSA has no records of injuries or accidents related to this issue in the two Ford models, which the company states may be linked to screws that may not have been installed correctly during assembly, potentially causing the seat belts to detach in an accident, increasing the risk of injury.
Ford has already indicated that it will notify owners of the affected models between March 31 and April 4 to address the issue.