Woman Has To Brake Suddenly While Driving. Then Her Ford's Seatbelt Traps Her Son: 'Turns Out There's A Recall'

A Ford Expedition owner says a sudden incident exposed concerns about a seatbelt defect, and she later received a recall notice. Cassie (@bird_and_bear), an artist and children’s book author based in Louisiana, reported that while driving her 19-year-old son was in the passenger seat when she heard a loud noise and the vehicle “rocked.” She says his seatbelt tightened and would not release, leaving him “plastered against the seat.” She was eventually able to free him without cutting the belt, but she claims it then stopped working because it would not retract or extend. Ford reportedly sent her a letter stating a recall was involved, and a dealership told her a fix might not be ready until September. The U.S. NHTSA says Ford recalled nearly 420,000 Expedition and certain Lincoln Navigator models from 2018 to 2022 due to a seatbelt pretensioner that may accidentally lock, preventing proper retraction and extension. Ford’s remedy involves dealership inspection and, if needed, replacement of seatbelt retractors at no cost.