Ford Motor Co. has filed four new recall campaigns with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that impact 225,471 total vehicles with safety issues ranging from a wireless seat belt reminder malfunctioning to the fuel tank may come off.
NHTSA listed the four recalls on its website www.nhtsa.gov on Sept. 9. The recalls put Ford at having filed 71 total recalls so far in 2026, as of Sept. 9, down from 108 recalls through the same period a year ago, but still well ahead of any other automaker. In second place is Chrysler at 33, Toyota at 23 and General Motors at 22, according to NHTSA's website.
As the Detroit Free Press has reported, Ford has strugged with bringing its quality up over the years, leading the industry in recalls for the past
five years. Last month, CEO Jim Farley outlined to the Free Pressthe automaker's continued journey on ways to fix quality, noting that being ranked first by JD Power in an Intial Quality Survey this year among mainstream brands for the top quality in the first 90 days of vehicle ownership is just the start to Ford's long-term quality overhaul.
Fuel tank risk
The first recall on Sept. 9 impacts 223,472 vehicles, all F-150 pickups with model years: 2023-2027, which Ford said is less than 1% of the F-150 vehicle population. Ford builds the F-150 at its Dearborn Truck Plant and Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri.
In a recall report, Ford said there is a risk that a fuel tank could leak or become detached, increasing the danger of an engine stalling and causing a possible crash or fire.
NHTSA said in its safety recall report that the affected vehicles are "equipped with front fuel tank straps that may have been improperly assembled from Jan. 4, 2023, through Aug. 27, 2026, when camera systems to verify proper fuel tank strap assembly were not in continuous use at F-150 vehicle assembly plants. Vehicles from this production period that are either unsold or have less than three months in service as of Aug. 27, 2026, are included in the recall population."
As the Detroit Free Press reported in July 2025, Ford has put its Mobile AI Vision System (MAIVS) cameras in plants to detect quality issues. The cameras are positioned around the assembly lines to capture all angles of the vehicle body to find defects. Ford invented its MAIVS system using consumer smartphones and a 3D printer to hold the cameras in place and the cameras can look for 25 different quality or internal problems on the body.
NHTSA reported that in some instances the front fuel tank strap slots were not properly inserted into the vehicle’s frame rail during assembly and could cause the fuel tank to leak or detach. As of Aug. 27, Ford has had 16 warranty claims globally related to this condition received between June 25, 2018, through Aug. 5. The automaker is not aware of any accident or injury related to the issue.
Ford dealers will start notifying owners on Sept. 14 if their F-150 might need repair, which is free at their dealership.
Seat belt warnings
Ford is also recalling certain 2026-2027 Transit vans saying the wireless seat belt reminder system within the rear seat belt buckles may malfunction and fail to show a change in buckle status. It impacts 1,945 Transits. Ford makes the Transit at its Kansas City Assembly Plant.
The safety report said a false positive, meaning an unbuckled rear seat that shows the driver a buckled seat on the instrument panel display, poses a potential safety risk "as the driver may be given the impression that unbuckled occupants have buckled seat belts. For vehicles equipped with multiple rows of rear seats this concern increases as the driver may have difficulty turning their head to confirm a completed buckle latch. An unbelted occupant may not be adequately restrained in a crash, increasing their risk of injury."
Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the seat belt reminder problem and said it will notify owners of impacted vehicles and fix the problem free of charge.
Two small recalls
Ford is also recalling certain 2026 F-150 vehicles that may have had the wrong rear axle tail bearings installed and if so, it could result in rear wheel lock-up or driveshaft separation. This recall impacts just 37 vehicles.
Owner notification letters will be mailed to those impacted by this recall starting Sept. 21, or Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning Sept. 14.
Finally, Ford is recalling a mere 17 vehicles that may have a loose rear suspension stabilizer rod that could cause the loss of vehicle control and handling, increasing the risk of a crash. This recall also impacts certain 2026 F-150 pickups and owners will be notified by mail starting Sept. 15.
Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer at USA TODAY Co. who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ford files 4 new recalls that will impact 225,000-plus vehicles
