Ford has issued a recall for almost two million F-150 pickup trucks manufactured and sold in North America between 2014 and 2018 due to a seat belt mechanism that is known to start fires.
The recall affects 2015-2018 F-150 Regular Cab and F-150 SuperCrew Cab vehicles manufactured at the Dearborn Assembly Plant in Michigan and the Kansas City Assembly Plant in Missouri. About 1.6 million of these vehicles are in the United States, according to Ford, while another 340,000 are in Canada and almost 37,000 are in Mexico.
According to the company, the seat belt pre-tensioners on the affected vehicles use a small device that emits gas to secure passengers in the event of a crash. This gas could ignite if exposed to sparks, causing the truck’s insulation and carpets to catch fire. Ford is aware of 23 fires related to this issue, though no accidents or injuries are known.
Ford dealers will repair affected vehicles at no cost to customers.
"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," Ford's statement said. "Dealers also will modify the back interior panels of Regular Cab vehicles."
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