2020 Ford Explorer Seat belts Problems

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her son was positioned in the third-row seat, the head restraint unexpectedly slammed down on the tip of his left index finger. As a result, he sustained a severe injury that required immediate medical attention. The injury required 6 to 8 stitches, and the child also required surgery. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

NHTSA ID

11750070

Incident

Jul 12, 2026

Mileage

110,000 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 30-45 MPH, the vehicle stopped unexpectedly. On another occasion while driving 25-35 MPH, the transmission was shifting and the vehicle bucked. There was an abnormal thumping and metal-against-metal sound coming from the vehicle. There was a grabbing coming from the vehicle. The seat belt became tight while the pretensioner had deployed after detecting the failure. The contact was concerned about driving the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V402000 (Power Train). While preparing to tow the vehicle, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The dealer informed the contact to pick up the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

NHTSA ID

11747402

Incident

Jun 30, 2025

Mileage

38,000 mi

I've received more than one recall notice from Ford (Recall Number: 25S09) but ever time I contact my dealer to schedule service, they say that Ford has not released the parts. I'm very concerned since this is a SAFETY recall. I'm also baffled because the letter says it's a "improperly torqued" fastener. I don't understand why they need parts for that. But what the heck do I know? Please help!

NHTSA ID

11724921

Incident

Mar 16, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V093000 (Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ID

11715903

Incident

Feb 5, 2026

The middle row passenger side seatbelt randomly unbuckles when we drive. We have had ford dealership look at it and are going to fix it as there is not a spicific recall for this but it is a saftey concern as the seatbelt doesn't stay fastened when driving.

NHTSA ID

11712361

Incident

Dec 1, 2025

I am driving and the second row seat is disengaging randomly and folding/sliding forward. These are the bucket seats. It appears that the button on top of the seat to do this is stuck in the down position. There is a current recall for the 2020 explorer, but my vin is not currently included. However, the exact situation in ford recall 25S67 is happening to my vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11695073

Incident

Oct 20, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V093000 (Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11661115

Incident

May 15, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V093000 (SEAT BELTS); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11658550

Incident

Feb 28, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V093000 (Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11656685

Incident

Apr 17, 2025

We received a recall stating that one or more of our seat restraint fasteners may have been improperly secured which may not effectively restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury. However, there are no parts or fix available.

NHTSA ID

11655012

Incident

Apr 16, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V093000 (Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The vehicle was leaking oil near the front wheels. Additionally, the vehicle was shaking while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the rear seat belts failed to secure the passengers. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the right and left bearings were leaking oil and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that there were no additional recalls on the VIN. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11654737

Incident

Feb 15, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V093000 (SEAT BELTS); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11654527

Incident

Apr 14, 2025

Passenger side seatbelt reactor is broken. Now I am unable to have a passenger safely due to faulty ford seatbelt. When I attempted to purchase seatbelt, ford had it on back order.

NHTSA ID

11623734

Incident

Aug 19, 2024

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon exiting the vehicle, the driver's side seat belt failed to fully retract. Afterward, entering the vehicle to drive to the next destination, the contact became aware that upon fastening the seat belt, the seat belt hung loose, providing little to no restraining tension. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 49,000.

NHTSA ID

11611707

Incident

Aug 29, 2024

Mileage

49,000 mi

Our explorer has had cascading warnings each time we drive the car for the past 7 days. Sometimes it takes a mile, sometimes it is immediate. The safety warnings include: 4-wheel drive fault, passenger air bag fault, forward Collision avoidance not working, powertrain malfunction, restraint indicator light warning, pre collision assist- . Not all appear each time, and some change ( 4wheel drive fault/ power train malfuntion- restraint warning/ airbag seem to alternate. Power train shows with restraint. 4 wd malfunction shows with airbag). Each time it occurs the airbag warning illuminates. Dealer cannot work on it until July 16th. Sounds like tsb 23-2174, but have been unable to codes when I stopped by a dealer Before July 1 we had no warnings. 48,582 miles. When faults appear- most systems appear to work, have tried 4wd and other modes and they appear to work. But cruise control, seatbelt chimes and others do not work.

NHTSA ID

11599832

Incident

Jul 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 62 MPH, the passenger’s side front seat belt was unlatched without passenger input. The occupant buckled the seat belt however, the failure recurred. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, and it was diagnosed that the seat latch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.

NHTSA ID

11573963

Incident

Feb 20, 2024

Mileage

64,000 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear seat headrests failed to remain in the upright position. The contact stated that while attempting to adjust the headrest, the headrest failed to lock into the selected position. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11560235

Incident

May 15, 2023

Mileage

70,000 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that she became aware that the rear passenger’s side head rest was fractured several months ago. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the head rest needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

NHTSA ID

11537220

Incident

Aug 1, 2023

Mileage

35,000 mi

The wiring harness in the back for the air was installed upside down, making the hot cold and the cold hot The vent in the ceiling that distributes air was kinked and had to be replaced The seatbelt on the drive side second row bucket seat was installed upside down The heater core had to replaced due to heat not blowing hot, still not and car was returned a second time Found out upon calling Ford that the car had two transmissions repairs by the previous owner and another "additional repair" done in 2022, would not disclose to me. I informed them the dealership gave me clean car facts. Car has less than 28,000 miles on it. I have had it less than ONE month.

NHTSA ID

11516911

Incident

Mar 5, 2023

NO ACCIDENT AT THIS TIME. THIS IS REGARDING THE KNOB SHIFTER AND ITS ABILITY TO AUTOMATICALLY SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO PARK WHEN DISCONNECTING THE SEAT BELT AND OPENING THE DRIVERS DOOR. THE SYSTEM WORKS GREAT UNLESS YOU ARE USING A SEATBELT EXTENDER. I THINK THIS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED. I DON'T THINK DRIVERS ARE MADE AWARE OF THIS ISSUE. I CERTAINLY WAS NOT.

NHTSA ID

11384670

Incident

Dec 22, 2020

Mileage

12,000 mi