Ford Recalls 2 Million Trucks At Risk Of Catching Fire Because Of Seatbelt Issue

Ford Motor Company announced a recall of nearly 2 million of its pickup trucks because of a seatbelt defect that could cause a fire.

The American automaker said Thursday it is recalling select models of its popular F-150 Regular Cab and SuperCrew Cab vehicles because the vehicle’s front seat belt system "can generate excessive sparks when they deploy" and catch fire. At least 23 "reports of smoke or fire" were identified by the company. However, no injuries or accidents resulted from the defect.

"When sufficient sparks are present, gases exhausted inside the lower portion of the B-pillar by the pretensioners may ignite," Ford said in a statement, according to USA Today. "If this gas ignites, components behind the B-pillar such as insulation and carpet may subsequently catch fire."

Specifically, the recall covers the 2015-18 model-year Ford F-150 made from March 12, 2014, through Aug. 23, 2018, in Dearborn, Michigan, and from Aug. 20, 2014, through Aug. 23, 2018, in Kansas City.

According to a public filing, the recall is expected to cost Ford about $140 million. The automaker said the recall affects 1.62 million vehicles in the U.S. and nearly 340,000 in Canada and 37,000 in Mexico.

Drivers can take their recalled vehicles to dealers to fix the issue for free. Ford said it would remove insulation and wire tape from the B-pillar (vertical supports behind a vehicles’ front-seat windows) of the recalled trucks to eliminate a risk of fire. The company also said it would also place heat-proof tape to the carpet and B-pillar area for added protection.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into the matter last month after it received reports of five fires because of the malfunction. There were three reports where flames had engulfed or destroyed the vehicle.

Last November, Canadian authorities contacted Ford regarding a fire near a pretensioner on a 2015 model, which resulted in joint vehicle inspection, according to Reuters. However, the cause of the fire was not determined.