Ford recalls more than 430,000 vehicles in Canada, U.S. over seat belt issue

The company logo shines off the grille of an unsold 2024 F150 pickup truck outside a Ford dealership Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024, in Broomfield, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Ford has recalled nearly 14,000 vehicles in Canada due to a seat belt defect that could increase the risk of injury in a crash.

A Ford spokesperson told CTVNews.ca in an email Wednesday that the recall impacts certain Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles in Canada from the model years 2018 to 2022.

The issue involves front seat belt retractors that may unexpectantly lock, preventing the seat belt from extending or retracting properly.

In some cases, the belts could retract too quickly, potentially increasing the risk of injury for occupants.

The Canadian recall affects approximately 13,760 vehicles.

“Owners will be notified by mail and instructed to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer,” the auto company said.

After inspection, vehicles with seat belts that fall within a certain manufacturing window will be replaced at no cost, Ford said.

This adds to a much larger recall in the U.S., as Ford recalled nearly 420,000 Expedition and Navigator vehicles from the same model years.

According to the Associated Press, Ford said the latest action expands on two previous recalls related to the same issue. The automaker is aware of two warranty claims, two field reports and one injury linked to the defect.

No information has been released about injuries in Canada.

A do-not-drive warning was also issued for thousands of Bronco Sport and Maverick vehicles, due to problems with the vehicles’ suspension systems.

Ford Canada said customers can determine if their vehicle is included in this recall by entering their 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN) at www.ford.ca/support/recalls.

With files from CTV News’ Luca Caruso-Moro and The Associated Press