Ford Motor Company: Seats › Front Assembly › Recliner
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Apr 20, 2010 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 33,256. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 FUSION, EXPLORER, EXPLORER SPORT TRAC, AND MERCURY MILAN AND MOUNTAINEER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN DECEMBER 15, 2009 THROUGH FEBRUARY 3, 2010 EQUIPPED WITH FRONT SEAT MANUAL RECLINERS. THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 202, "HEAD RESTRAINT." THE RECLINER GEAR PLATE TEETH MAY BE OUT OF DIMENSION SPECIFICATION WHICH COULD RESULT IN LIMITED PAWL TO GEAR PLATE TOOTH ENGAGEMENT.
The risk
IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEATBACK AND HEAD RESTRAINT MAY MOVE REARWARD, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE MANUAL RECLINERS FOR BOTH POWER AND MANUAL SEATS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE APRIL 30, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-436-7332.
5 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Ford Explorer | 115 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| 2010 Ford Explorer Sport Trac | 31 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 2010 Ford Fusion | 5,131 | 13 | 9 | 122 |
| 2010 Mercury Milan | 1,003 | 13 | 1 | 40 |
| 2010 Mercury Mountaineer | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 10V161000.
Full record for the 2010 Ford Explorer → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →