0.55 vs. all vehicles
Rising68 of the 3,270 complaints about the Ford Explorer (2.1%) concern Airbags & seat belts, making it the model's #10 problem area. That share is 0.6× the Airbags & seat belts share across all tracked vehicles.
Analysis
24 Airbags & seat belts complaints were filed in the last 12 months versus 18 in the 12 months before — up 33%.
20 of these reports (29.4%) describe a crash or fire, with 23 injuries and 0 deaths mentioned.
6 recall campaigns relate to this area, most recently campaign 26V581000 (2026-09-09, model year 2026).
Related recalls
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL Campaign 26V581000 · 2026-09-09 · Model years: 2026
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer vehicles. The active vent on the passenger side may not open as intended, preventing the air bag from deploying properly.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the passenger air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 16, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S65. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on September 14, 2026.
SEAT BELTS Campaign 26V159000 · 2026-03-17 · Model years: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2026 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The seat belt anchor bolts at the second-row outer seating positions may be improperly secured.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the second-row outer seat belt lower anchor bolts and replace or repair them as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 30, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C18. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 19, 2026.
SEAT BELTS Campaign 25V093000 · 2025-02-14 · Model years: 2020, 2021
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Explorer and Aviator vehicles. The seat belt buckle anchor bolts at one or more seating positions may be improperly secured. Additionally, vehicles may have an improperly secured seat belt retractor anchor bolt and/or seat belt anchor bolt at the second-row center seating position, if equipped.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect seat belt buckle anchor bolts in all seating positions. Additionally, dealers will inspect the seat belt retractor anchor bolt and seat belt anchor bolt at the second-row center seating position, if equipped. If loose anchor bolts are found, the affected seat components will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 5, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S09.
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:CURTAIN Campaign 21V652000 · 2021-08-23 · Model years: 2021
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The side air bag attachment weld studs could detach during the deployment of the side air bag, resulting in an improper deployment. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 214, "Side Impact Protection".
Remedy: Dealers will replace the side air bag assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 10, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C19.
SEAT BELTS: REAR/OTHER:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY Campaign 20V549000 · 2020-09-10 · Model years: 2020
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Explorer vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with second row center seat belt buckles that may not be properly secured to the seat.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the second row center seat assembly, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S50.
AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS Campaign 20V497000 · 2020-08-21 · Model years: 2020
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Explorer and 2020 Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The side air bag and/or seat back module attachments may not have been properly tightened in the front seat backs.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove front seat back panels from one or both front seats (VIN-specific) and verify that the fasteners have been properly tightened, free of charge. The recall began September 10, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S48.
