NHTSA recall 26V-159: Seat Belts

Ford Motor Company · Reported March 17, 2026 · 10 affected model years

Seat Belts recall

26V-159
March 17, 2026 · Ford Motor Company
Problem
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2026 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The seat belt anchor bolts at the second-row outer seating positions may be improperly secured.
Safety risk
A loose seat belt buckle may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the second-row outer seat belt lower anchor bolts and replace or repair them as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 30, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C18. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 19, 2026.

Recall details

NHTSA campaign number26V159000
ManufacturerFord Motor Company
Report dateMarch 17, 2026
ComponentSeat Belts
Fixed over the airNo
View on NHTSA.gov ↗

Affected vehicles

2026 Ford Explorer14 recalls total2026 Lincoln Aviator6 recalls total2025 Ford Explorer20 recalls total2025 Lincoln Aviator15 recalls total2024 Ford Explorer10 recalls total2024 Lincoln Aviator8 recalls total2023 Ford Explorer15 recalls total2023 Lincoln Aviator16 recalls total2022 Ford Explorer24 recalls total2022 Lincoln Aviator22 recalls total

Related seat belts recalls

Seat Belts recall

26V-579
September 9, 2026 · Ford Motor Company · 2026 Ford Transit

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026-2027 Transit vehicles. The wireless seat belt reminder system (SBR) within the rear seat belt buckles may malfunction and fail to show a change in buckle status.

Seat Belts recall

25V-338
May 23, 2025 · Ford Motor Company · 2023 Lincoln Aviator, 2023 Lincoln Corsair, 2022 Lincoln Corsair, 2022 Lincoln Aviator

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Lincoln Aviator and Lincoln Corsair vehicles equipped with a Revel Audio System that were repaired incorrectly under recall 22V-953. When the driver's seat belt is not buckled and the vehicle is started, the seat belt warning system may activate the audible warning chime for an insufficient amount of time of less than 4 seconds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

All seat belts recalls →