Ford Motor Co. is issuing a nationwide recall order on two million pickup trucks after the company received reports of malfunction on seatbelt mechanisms which allegedly started fires, posing a major setback on the carmaker's popular F-Series line.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the recall order from the Michigan-based auto manufacturer on Thursday only applies for the F-150 pickups made between the years 2015 and 2018. The said models were built at Ford plants in Missouri and Michigan.
As further indicated in the report, Ford is aware of the 17 incidents in the United States where fire or smoke broke out from the defective seatbelts. Six more cases of the same nature were cited in Canada. The company however clarified that there were no reported injuries caused by the malfunction.
The root of the Problem
According to Ford, the problem stems from a portion of the driver and front passenger's seat belts technically being referred to as pretension, an NPR report said.
This part of the car is attached to the base of a seatbelt clip where it is intended to secure the front-row passenger and the driver in the event of a vehicular collision. During a crash, the component's mechanism would clamp the clip tight, preventing the occupant from pulling away from his/her seat. To do this, the securing piece would involve the use of explosives to function.
Findings from Ford's in-house investigation revealed that some of these seat belt pretensioners generate excessive sparks when ignited. These sparks would then cause a fire break out in the car's insulation or upholsteries such as the carpet.
Meanwhile, a CNN report said that most of the affected vehicles are in the United States, about 1.6 million units in total. There are also about 340,000 affected F-150s sold in Canada and nearly 40,000 trucks of the same model are in Mexico.
Federal authorities have already conducted their own preliminary investigations on the matter last month following five incidents that occurred in the US.
As divulged by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in the five cases, two fires have self-extinguished, while the other three were totally damaged by the fire.
Ford's immediate remediation of the problem prompts Ford dealers to remove certain insulation materials particularly from the B-pillar trim and B-pillar area. After which, it is advised to apply heat-resistant insulation tape on the car's carpet to prevent a fire from catching on the material.
According to NHTSA, these modification procedures should be provided by designated dealers free of charge.
