- Vehicles
- 112,951
- Built between
- Sep 2018 – Jul 2020
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 22 October 2025
- Repaired
- 27%
- Unrepaired
- 79,765
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between September 2018 and July 2020. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2018-2020 Ford ExpeditionBuilt September 2018 to July 2020
- 2018-2020 Lincoln NavigatorBuilt September 2018 to July 2020
Repair progress
79,765 of 112,951 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q2 2026.
27% repaired — 29,937 of 112,951 reported
- Owners not reachable
- 3,242
- Scrapped or exported
- 7
Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.
What the defect is
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.
What could happen
Seat belts that do not retract or extend can fail to restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
What gets fixed
Dealers will replace the seat belt retractors as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 22, 2025.
Parts involved
- Driver Seatbelt Retractor Pretensioner AssemblyJL1Z-78611B08-A*Front Passenger Seatbelt Retractor Pretensioner Assembly for Ford Expedition
- Driver Seatbelt Retractor Pretensioner AssemblyJL1Z-78611B09-A*Driver Seatbelt Retractor Pretensioner Assembly for Ford Expedition
- Driver Seatbelt Retractor Pretensioner AssemblyJL7Z-78611B08-A*Front Passenger Seatbelt Retractor Pretensioner Assembly for Lincoln Navigator
- Driver Seatbelt Retractor Pretensioner AssemblyJL7Z-78611B09-A*Driver Seatbelt Retractor Pretensioner Assembly for Lincoln Navigator
Part numbers are as filed by the manufacturer and are listed for reference. Your dealer will confirm the correct part for your vehicle.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtSeptember 2018 to July 2020
- Recall reported to NHTSA23 May 2025
- Owners notified22 October 2025
- Latest repair reportQ2 2026 — 27% repaired
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 23 May 2025.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S31. Some vehicles in this recall that were previously inspected under recall 24V-099 and did not have parts replaced will need to have this new recall remedy completed.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 25S31
- Recalling manufacturer
- Ford Motor Company
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-888-275-9171), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.