Ford Motor Company is issuing a recall for approximately 2 million select 2015-08 F-150 Regular Cab and SuperCrew Cab vehicles in North America due to a potential fire risk.
Ford's investigation found that some front seatbelt pretensioners can generate excessive sparks when they deploy. When sufficient sparks are present, gases exhausted inside the lower portion of the B-pillar by the pretensioners may ignite. If this gas ignites, components behind the B-pillar such as insulation and carpet may catch fire.
The company says it is aware of 17 reports of smoke or fire in the United States and six in Canada. Ford is not aware of any related accidents or injuries.
Affected vehicles include:
- 2015-18 Ford F-150 vehicles built at Dearborn Assembly Plant, March 12, 2014 through Aug. 23, 2018
- 2015-18 Ford F-150 vehicles built at Kansas City Assembly Plant, Aug. 20, 2014 through Aug. 23, 2018
There are about 1,995,776 vehicles in North America related to the concern, with 1,169,112 vehicles in the United States, 339,884 in Canada and 35,780 in Mexico. The reference number for the recall is 118S27.
Dealers will remove insulation material from the B-pillar trim, remove remnants of wiring harness tape in the B-pillar area and apply heat-resistant tape to the carpet and its insulation. Dealers will also modify the back interior panels of Regular Cab vehicles.
Ford says all repairs will be provided at no cost to customers.