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The second-largest U.S. automaker said it was aware of 17
reports of smoke or fire in the United States and six in Canada
relating to belt pretensioners, but was not aware of any
accidents or injuries as a result of this condition.
The mechanism of the pretensioner, which works in tandem with
air bags, involves an explosive charge that locks a seat belt in
place during a crash.
Some pretensioners in front seat belts could generate excessive
sparks when deployed, resulting possibly in a fire, the company
said.
The recall covers 2015-18 Ford F-150 Regular Cab and SuperCrew
Cab vehicles in North America for driver and front passenger
seat-belt pretensioners.
Ford said the recall included 1.62 million U.S. vehicles,
340,000 in Canada and 37,000 in Mexico.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said last
month it was investigating complaints of fire in the seat belt
component.
There were five complaints alleging fires following the
activation of seat-belt pretensioners, the NHTSA said.
To resolve the issue, dealers will remove some insulation
material and remnants of wiring harness tape from the vehicle's
B pillar area, and apply heat-resistant tape to the carpet and
its insulation. They will also modify the back interior panels
of Regular Cab vehicles. The B pillar is the vertical support
behind a vehicle's front seat windows.
Transport Canada contacted Ford in November 2017, regarding a
B-pillar area fire on a 2015 model year vehicle, prompting a
joint vehicle inspection by Ford and Transport Canada.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
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