10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 2 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 45,667 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
In or around October I reported my Seatbelt tensioner/retractor explosive device deployed almost causing me to have an accident. After really complaining to Ford, they finally fixed it. Now my warning light came on pertaining to my passenger side tensioner. I also received the notice, and went to my dealership. They had the vehicle for a week and could not fix it. They said Ford has to ok it and supply the parts, and it could take all the way to the end of 2024. They gave me the vehicle back, refused a loaner and said their hands were tied. I can tell you first hand that someone may die or cause a serious accident if driving at high speed when the device deploys. It is as loud as a 45 cal or shotgun, inside the cab. The SPL is enormous and the seatbelt tightens 3 to 4 inches, causing disorientation, total fear and loss of control of the vehicle. My incident caused me to have irregular heartbeat and I ended up in the hospital. THEY NEED TO REPLACE THESE DEVICES ASAP, BEFOE SOMEONE DIES.
- Saint Petersburg, FL, USA
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side air bag inadvertently deployed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with both the seat belt and driver's side air bags. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V099000 (Seat Belts). The VIN was included, but parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 93,000.
- Avondale, AZ, USA
Airbag pre-tensioner fired without any collision.
- Star, ID, USA
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the air bag warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed and determined that the passenger-??s side seat belt pretensioner was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Later, while driving approximately 55 MPH, the front passenger-??s side seat belt pretensioner suddenly deployed causing the driver to nearly lose control of the steering. During the failure there was no passenger seated in the front passenger's seat. There was no crash. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 97,000.
- Brooksville, FL, USA
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that after the vehicle was shifted into park, the seat belt was removed, and the contact heard a loud popping sound then the front driver-??s side air bag inadvertently deployed. As a result of the failure, the seat belt retracted and burned the contact hand. No medical attention was required. The air bag warning light and the seat belt warning light illuminated. No medical attention was required. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the seat belt retractor pretensioner failed and the seat belt retractor pretensioner and air bag needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened and the contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.
- Corpus Christi, TX, USA
Vehicle parked and had just been started. Went to put on dvr seatbelt and a loud explosion happened to my left and the seatbelt shoulder strap was pulled out of my fingers. The driver seatbelt pretensioner activated without a collision and the cab filled with smoke. Vehicle has never been in a collision, ever had a restraint malfunction, is the original OEM safety component, and hasn-??t been serviced/replaced for a seatbelt/airbag issue. Now, the air bag light is activated and the seatbelt is tightly fully retracted to the pillar so tight it can-??t be moved at all. Access to the onboard computer can verify all the above info. Dealership stated there was an activation of the pretensioned charge on the driver seatbelt resulting in the belt fully retracting and the seatbelt no longer functioning. 2nd 2019 Ford Expedition they have seen this week with the same mishap. If this would have deployed at highway speeds, a driver may have been startled due to the loud explosion in the cab and lost control of the vehicle (I was parked). Smoke immediately entered the occupant compartment. The seat belt retracted so quickly/tightly, injury to one-??s chest would have occurred.
- Laredo, TX, USA
On July 24th 2023, at approximately 2:15pm my wife and I were completely stopped at a red traffic light on 66th St N that crosses Ulmerton Rd in Pinellas County Florida. We were talking and listening to the radio, when all of a sudden, a loud shotgun or explosive sound filled the vehicle. I got hit with something in the chest that felt like a punch or a kick, knocking me out of breath. But my wife only heard the extremely loud noise. I was clutching my chest in pain as I thought I was shot. When the light turned green, I immediately pulled into a Dunkin donuts parking lot, and we exited the vehicle. There was no damage whatsoever on the inside and outside of the vehicle, but we smelled gun powder. My driver's seatbelt was stuck in the retracted position. I slowly drove to my home at 6500 30th Avenue N, St Petersburg, Fl 33710. I immediately called the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department to report the incident, because at the time I thought it was a gunshot. They have a record under my phone number. I had no idea what the loud gun sound was, so I started to research and found the driver's seat belt tensioner charge must have gone off. I called Auto Nation Ford and made an emergency appointment to bring the vehicle in. I explained everything to them, then dropped the vehicle off. Upon doing a full inspection, the Auto Nation Ford mechanic determined there was a factory short in the air bag circuit, which caused the seatbelt tensioner charge to explode. They found the location, under the center console & replaced all necessary wiring, sensors, modules, tensioner & seatbelt. I researched and found recalls for 2020 Expeditions and 2018 F150 pickups, but there was no recall for the 2019 Expedition. I can't imagine what would have happened if we were going fast on an interstate when it happened. Now I get in my 2 Ford vehicles and worry about it happening again. t turned out the kick in the chest was the seatbelt retracting 4 inches pulling me back in the seat.
- Saint Petersburg, Fl, FL, USA
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 40 -45 mph, he collided with a Volkswagen Jetta that cut him off. All the airbags in the vehicle deployed. The contact son was occupying the front passenger seat but the seat belt failed to retract. There were no warning lights illuminated. The steering wheel air bag struck the driver in the mouth. The passenger had scratches, but medical attention was not provided. A police report was filed. There was no reported fire. The vehicle was towed to an independent lot. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified about the failure but provided no additional assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.
- St. Johns, MI, USA
- Coppell, TX, USA