Ford is recalling two million of its popular F-150 pickup trucks after discovering that a seat belt component called the pretensioner has the potential to start a fire if the truck gets in an accident. Ford says that it has received 17 reports of seatbelt-related smoke or fire in F-150s in the United States and six more in Canada. There have been no reports of injuries as a result. What's a seatbelt pretensioner? Modern cars and trucks have sensors that can detect when a crash is underway and rapidly deploy the vehicle's safety features in a fraction of a second. In addition to deploying the airbags, a vehicle will also trigger seatbelt pretensioners that jerk the seatbelts a couple inches tighter, pulling passengers into their seats. Some pretensioners are mechanical, but a lot of modern units use small explosive charges to rapidly tighten the belt. You can see a slow-motion video of an explosive pretensioner (not necessarily a Ford one) being activated here. It's a remarkable bit of engineering that most people never notice—but it helps keep people safe in the event of a crash. Advertisement Unfortunately, the pretensioners in certain Ford F-150 models produced since 2014—about two million in total—are at risk of starting a fire. Federal regulators opened an investigation into the issue last month after three Ford trucks were reported "totally destroyed" in seatbelt-related fires. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured in those incidents. "Some front seat belt pretensioners can generate excessive sparks when they deploy," Ford writes in today's press release. The pretensioner on the Ford F-150 is inside of the B-pillar, the vertical part of the body that separates the vehicle's front and back doors. When the pretensioner activates, it exhausts gases inside of the B-pillar, and sparks can ignite these gases. "Components behind the B-pillar such as insulation and carpet may subsequently catch fire," Ford warns. Ford is recalling trucks built between 2014 and 2018 at plants in Kansas City and Dearborn, Michigan. Affected F-150 owners can contact their local Ford dealers for repairs, which will be done at no cost to customers. Rather than replacing the pretensioner itself, Ford's plan is to remove potentially flammable elements from the B-pillars and add flame-resistant tape, thereby preventing sparks from starting larger fires.<doc-sep>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co F.N said on Thursday it would recall 2 million F-150 pickup trucks in North America because of a seat belt problem that could generate excessive sparks and cause fires. The second-largest U.S. automaker said it received 17 reports of smoke or fire in the United States and six in Canada but was not aware of any injuries. During a crash, a device called a pretensioner uses an explosive charge to lock the seat belt in place. The company said the device may generate excessive sparks. Ford will fix the problem for free and said in a securities filing the recall would cost about $140 million. The company said the cost would be reflected in third-quarter earnings but Ford left unchanged its guidance for full-year 2018 adjusted earnings. The recall covers 2015-2018 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. Shares of the company closed down 0.5 percent at $9.45. 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. The recall came just weeks after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a preliminary investigation in August after five complaints of fires in the seat belt component, including three vehicles destroyed by fires. The agency had asked Ford about fire reports earlier this year. A Ford spokeswoman said the company “identified this issue through its normal quality processes.” Transport Canada, the Canadian auto regulatory agency, contacted Ford in November 2017, regarding a B-pillar area fire on a 2015 vehicle. That prompted a joint vehicle inspection by Ford and the agency, but the cause could not be determined. Ford also reviewed four reports of post-crash interior fires earlier in 2017 in the B-pillar area of trucks, but did not find any issues. Ford said the components in the older 2015-2017 models were built by Takata, which was acquired by Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp 600699.SS, while ZF Friedrichshafen AG [ZFF.UL] built the parts starting with the 2018 model year. German auto supplier ZF said it was working with Ford on the recall and Ningbo Joyson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<doc-sep>Ford announced today a recall of 2 million 2015 to 2018 Ford F-150 Regular Cab and Super Crew Cab trucks over seat belt pretensioners, which could spark when deployed and possibly lead to fire. Advertisement According to Reuters, the recall was issued after 17 reports of fire and smoke were reported in the U.S. and Canada concerning the driver and passenger seat belt pretensioners, which feature a small explosive mechanism that locks the seat belt in place in the event of a crash. Ford claims it’s unaware of any injuries or accidents as a direct result of the issue. The recalled vehicles will have some wiring tape and insulation removed from the B-pillar area, where the pretensioners are located, and heat-risistant tape will be applied to the surrounding insulation and carpet, with unspecified changes to the interior panels in the back, according to Reuters. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a statement that it had received five complaints concerning the fire risk and had opened an investigation. One complaint visible on the NHTSA website someone claimed to be the investigating officer of a crash involving an F-150, the truck’s “B-pillar started on fire, melting seat belt, most of B-pillar and parts of curtain and side airbags” after the vehicles involved in the collision were moved from the intersection. The complaint says the fire extinguished on its own and no one was injured. The recall includes 1.62 million trucks in the U.S., 340,000 in Canada and 37,000 in Mexico.<doc-sep>Ford Motor is recalling nearly 2 million pickup trucks to fix a seat belt defect that could trigger vehicle fires. The recall affects the crown jewel of Ford's lineup: the F-150 pickup. The F-series lineup is the best selling vehicle model in the U.S. The move came after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into the matter in early August after receiving reports of five fires due to the defect, including three that engulfed and destroyed the vehicle. The company said it had identified at least 23 "reports of smoke or fire" but no injuries or accidents connected to the defect. The recall covers the 2015-18 model-year Ford F-150 made from March 12, 2014 through Aug. 23, 2018, in Dearborn, Mich., and from Aug. 20, 2014, through Aug. 23, 2018, in Kansas City. Ford said the defect involves front seat belt pretensioners that "can generate excessive sparks when they deploy." "When sufficient sparks are present, gases exhausted inside the lower portion of the B-pillar by the pretensioners may ignite," Ford said in a statement. "If this gas ignites, components behind the B-pillar such as insulation and carpet may subsequently catch fire." The recall is expected to cost Ford about $140 million, according to a public filing. The defect compounds the company's troubles as it seeks to prove to investors that it has a plan to bolster its financial prospects. Ford said the recall covers about 1.995 million vehicles in North America, including 1.619 million in the U.S. Dealers will repair the vehicles for free. Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.<doc-sep>
Ford Motor Co. F150 trucks move along the production line at the company's Dearborn Truck Assembly facility in Dearborn, Michigan. Ford Motor said on Thursday it would recall 2 million F-150 pickup trucks in North America to address fire and smoke concerns in seat-belt pretensioners. 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.