VehicleVerdict

2020 Ford Expedition seat belts problems

The 2020 Ford Expedition has 21 seat belts complaints filed with NHTSA — 4% of the year's total, and down from the prior model year.

21

Seat Belts complaints

4%

Share of year

1

Crash-involved

5

Related recalls

Seat Belts complaints by year

Related recalls

26V344000Seat BeltsMay 27, 2026 · 419,967 units

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.

Consequence

Seat belts that do not retract or extend can fail to restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt retractors as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 8, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in August 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S34. This recall replaces and expands previous NHTSA recalls 24V099 and 25V197. Vehicles previously inspected or repaired under the prior recalls will need the new repair completed.

25V197000Seat BeltsMay 23, 2025 · 112,951 units

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.

Consequence

Seat belts that do not retract or extend can fail to restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the seat belt retractors as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 22, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S31. Some vehicles in this recall that were previously inspected under recall 24V-099 and did not have parts replaced will need to have this new recall remedy completed.

24V099000Seat BeltsFebruary 9, 2024 · 77,574 units

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently deploy and lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.

Consequence

Seat belts that do not retract or extend may fail to restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the seat belt retractors, as necessary. Additionally, dealers will install an HVAC drain tube elbow if it is missing. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 8, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S06.

20V574000Seat BeltsSeptember 23, 2020 · 123 units

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Expedition vehicles. The seat belt tension sensor may incorrectly classify a child occupant as an adult.

Consequence

In the event of a crash, the incorrect classification would enable the passenger air bag to deploy instead of disabling it, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat belt buckle, free of charge. The recall began October 16, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S54.

20V217000Seat BeltsApril 16, 2020 · 1,355 units

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Expedition vehicles. The front passenger seatbelt buckle's Belt Tension Sensor (BTS) may malfunction and may result in the seat occupant being misclassified.

Consequence

In the event of a crash, the restraint system may not provide the intended level of protection, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seatbelt buckle, free of charge. The recall began May 11, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S17.

What owners report

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving in the rain at 50 MPH, a vehicle hydroplaned and crashed into both the contact's vehicle and another vehicle. The contact stated that air bags did not deploy , the seat belts did not lock and no warning lights appeared…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Seat Belts · May 14, 2023 · crash

Common questions

How many seat belts complaints does the 2020 Ford Expedition have?

NHTSA has 21 complaints about the 2020 Ford Expedition seat belts — 4% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2020 Ford Expedition seat belts?

Yes — 5 NHTSA recall campaigns for this model year are tied to the seat belts: 20V217000, 20V574000, 24V099000, 25V197000, 26V344000.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.