Ford Motor Company: Air Bags › Frontal
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Sep 9, 2026 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 7. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
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.
The risk
An air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.
The 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.
1 model year covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Ford Explorer | 44 | 14 | 0 | 3 |
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 26V581000.
Full record for the 2026 Ford Explorer → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →