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Airbags, seat belts and seats · UNITED STATES

26V451000: Airbags, seat belts and seats recall for FORD EXPLORER / LINCOLN AVIATOR

FORD EXPLORER / LINCOLN AVIATOR: check the listed vehicles, the reported issue and the manufacturer remedy for 26V451000. Keep the official status and service answers in one private record.

Official record checked 2026-10-19 UTC · Filing date 2026-07-14

Start with the specific vehicle

The report lists 15 model-year entries. Read the equipment and production restrictions in the reported issue, then use the official lookup or manufacturer to establish whether this campaign applies to your vehicle.

View the listed model years
  • 2024 FORD EXPLORER
  • 2022 LINCOLN AVIATOR
  • 2027 LINCOLN AVIATOR
  • 2021 FORD EXPLORER
  • 2026 FORD EXPLORER
  • 2021 LINCOLN AVIATOR
  • 2020 FORD EXPLORER
  • 2020 LINCOLN AVIATOR
  • 2022 FORD EXPLORER
  • 2025 FORD EXPLORER
  • 2025 LINCOLN AVIATOR
  • 2024 LINCOLN AVIATOR
  • 2023 LINCOLN AVIATOR
  • 2023 FORD EXPLORER
  • 2026 LINCOLN AVIATOR

Check your VIN on NHTSA →

Enter the VIN only on the official service or manufacturer site. This worksheet does not ask for it.

What the official report says

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2027 Aviator and 2020-2026 Explorer vehicles. The switch for the easy-entry second-row outer seats may bind or stick, resulting in the seats unlatching, tipping, or sliding unexpectedly.

Official NHTSA campaign record

Why the reported issue matters

A seat that moves unexpectedly may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Official NHTSA campaign record

Prepare your observation

Use vehicle documents and existing service records. Leave airbag, belt and seat disassembly or deployment testing to the service provider.

A reported defect describes the campaign. It does not establish what caused a symptom on your individual vehicle, and absence of a symptom does not establish that an open recall is complete.

The reported manufacturer remedy

Dealers will inspect and replace the bezel around the switch as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model and model years. Interim letters explaining the safety risk were mailed August 19, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in January 2027. Lincoln Aviator owner notification letters were mailed August 21, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S52. This recall expands Recall 25V393. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 16, 2026.

Official NHTSA campaign record

The source describes a phased campaign

The official record describes phases for the campaign, notifications or remedy. Ask which phase covers this VIN, model year and equipment, and what arrangements are available now. A past phase date does not establish current availability.

Timing language in the official record

This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model and model years.

Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in January 2027.

This describes the dated source record. Current arrangements for your VIN remain unconfirmed.

Choose the next step from the official result

Not checked or unavailable

Keep eligibility unconfirmed. Use the official lookup or contact the manufacturer with 26V451000.

This campaign is open

Confirm current interim instructions, remedy availability and service arrangements. Keep the dated answer.

Not listed as open

Review earlier repair records and lookup limits if needed. A zero-open result does not explain an unresolved symptom.

Work order records recall work

Keep the campaign number, remedy and date together. Ask separately about a symptom that remains after the visit.

Your campaign-specific service questions

Use these questions with the official report. Keep the answers beside the remedy record; “discussed” records a conversation, not a completed repair.

  1. Does the manufacturer confirm that campaign 26V451000 applies to this VIN, including the report’s equipment and production restrictions?

    A matching model and year is only a starting point. The official lookup or manufacturer must establish the individual vehicle’s status.

  2. Which reported phase applies to this VIN, model year and equipment, and what remedy and interim instructions are available now?

    The official record describes phases for the campaign, notifications or remedy. Ask which phase covers this VIN, model year and equipment, and what arrangements are available now. A past phase date does not establish current availability.

  3. Which seating position or restraint component is included, and does the manufacturer give any interim occupancy instruction for this VIN?

    Compare the answer with the reported component: SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY.

  4. If an inspection determines which work is needed, what was inspected, what was found, and which corrective work followed?

    Ask for the inspection result as well as the final action. A parts list alone may not describe an inspection-based remedy.

  5. Which items in the reported replacement remedy for 26V451000 were replaced, and are they identified on the work order?

    Keep the replaced items and the campaign number together so that a later visit can distinguish recall work from other repairs.

  6. How does this campaign relate to 25V393000, and does work recorded under an earlier campaign satisfy the current remedy?

    Show any earlier work order. Related recall numbers can describe expanded or repeated work; ask the manufacturer to reconcile the records.

  7. What dated document records the remedy performed under 26V451000, and what should I do if the reported concern remains?

    Keep campaign completion and unresolved symptoms as separate questions. A saved worksheet or booked appointment does not establish a repair.

Download the full guide and blank worksheet

Source and lookup coverage

NHTSA 26V451000: official campaign data · Official lookup and coverage limits

The quoted issue, consequence and remedy come from the official record as checked above. This independent guide adds a vehicle-check decision process, service questions and a private worksheet. Confirm current eligibility, remedy availability and interim instructions with the manufacturer.

The official VIN lookup may omit completed recalls, some recent campaigns and recalls outside its coverage. Vehicle notes and answers stay in this browser. A downloaded brief contains your notes; keep it appropriately. Groundwork is independent of NHTSA and the manufacturer.