Ford Recalls 680,872 Vehicles Because Seat Belts May Not Hold

DEARBORN, MI — Ford Motor Company is recalling roughly 680,872 vehicles because the seat belts may not hold in an accident, the automaker said in a statement Friday.

Ford said 650,000 2013 to 2016 Ford Fusion models and 2013 to 2015 Lincoln MKZ vehicles are being recalled for faulty seat belt anchor pre-tensioners, which play a pivotal role in keeping us safe during a crash. Pre-tensioners sense when a vehicle is stopping, like right before impact, and automatically tighten the seat belt.

The tighter the seat belt, the more likely you are to stay in place — and safe — in the event of a crash. The automaker says in the affected vehicles, heat released by the deployment of the pre-tensioners may cause the pre-tensioners to break, and the seat belt may not be able to hold you in place in a crash.

Dealers will inject a coating into the driver and front-passenger pre-tensioners to shield them from heat damage at no charge to the customer. Ford is aware of two accidents and two injuries associated with pre-tensioners.

A second safety recall affects about 27 Ford Fusion vehicles from model year 2017. The issue here is that the second-row left-rear seat back frame may have been built with improperly welded pivot pins. That poses a problem because they may not adequately hold cargo in a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Dealers will replace the rear seat back frame at zero cost to the customer. Ford said it is not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with this issue.

The lion's share of recalled vehicles — about 602,739 — are in the United States. The remaining recalled vehicles are in Canada, Mexico and federalized territories.

Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company