Ford recalls 420,000 SUVs for a dangerous issue
Ford knows it has a problem with recalls: it is once again leading all other auto manufacturers by a large margin so far in 2026. CEO Jim Farley has said improving the quality of its vehicles is Ford's "largest near-term opportunity" to lower costs.
Ford has issued 40 recalls so far this year. While that is a much better pace than the nearly 80 recalls the company had issued at this same time last year, Ford has issued more recalls so far this year than the next two car companies combined.
Recalls have been an ongoing problem for the Blue Oval. Between 2010 and 2020, Ford's warranty claims as a percentage of sales doubled. In 2023, Ford spent $4.8 billion fixing customer vehicles, a 15% increase from the previous year. It set aside $1,203 per car sold that year for warranty repairs, according to Warranty Week.
On Wednesday, it added to its recall lead, announcing a recall of more than 400,000 vehicles for an issue that could increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Ford recalls 420,000 SUVs over seatbelt issue
Ford Motor will recall 419,967 2018-2022 model year Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles, the National Highway Safety Administration said Wednesday.
The recalled vehicles feature seat belts that don't retract or extend properly, increasing the likelihood of injury in the result of a crash. The seat belts could also cause injury if they retract too rapidly. This recall replaces and expands on two previous recalls.
Ford has been notified about two warranty claims and two field reports related to the issue. It is also aware of one injury.
Vehicle owners will receive recall notifications by mail. In the meantime, vehicle owners can use their VIN on the NHTSA website to see if their Expedition or Navigator is affected by the recall. Affected owners can take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the seatbelt retractors replaced free of charge.
Ford has a plan to turn around its warranty troubles
Ford set a record last year for the most recalls in a single year, but the issue runs deeper than that.
A recent study by iSeeCars.com, analyzing 31 years of recall history, found that Ford is the least proactive car brand in issuing recalls. Fewer than 30% of the cars recalled over the last three decades were due to a problem Ford found on its own.
By 2023, the company reached a breaking point when Ford said it spent $4.8 billion fixing customer vehicles. In 2024, the company said it was initiating a new quality assurance program that incorporates "testing vehicles to failure," running them "at extremely high mileage" in order to find potential problems before customers do.
The company said at the time that it would take up to 18 months to see the benefits of that new process. "It makes our quarters lumpy, and it's challenging, but it will reduce warranty (costs) over time," Farley said at the time.
During a recent call, Chief Operating Officer Kumar Galhorta identified four areas the company is focusing on now:
- Seamless launch execution
- Minimal defects
- Greater reliability
- Time
Owning a Ford is more costly than owning other brands
Ford says that about a third of its recalls over the past three years have been software-related, and over-the-air recalls cost 95% less than physical ones.
Costs associated with recalls and customer satisfaction claims, what Ford calls field service actions (FSA), account for about 40% of Ford's warranty costs.
While Ford owners don't have to shoulder the financial burden of these recalls or warranty issues, owning a Ford still comes with extra costs that other car owners don't have to deal with.
According to RepairPal, Ford's average annual repair cost was $775, putting it above average for ownership costs. Ford's average was 0.3 visits to a repair shop per year, and there was a 15% probability that a repair would be severe.
Owners of other car brands averaged just $652 in annual repair costs.
Related: Ford recalls one of its best-selling vehicles
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This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 4:37 AM.