Ford Motor Company: Air Bags › Critical Fasteners
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Aug 21, 2020 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 488. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
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.
The risk
If the side air bag or seat back fasteners were not properly tightened, the side air bag deployment could be affected, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
The 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.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Ford Explorer | 1,249 | 33 | 10 | 37 |
| 2020 Lincoln Aviator | 110 | 30 | 1 | 2 |
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 20V497000.
Full record for the 2020 Ford Explorer → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →