Ford Bronco five-door recalled over hard-to-reach seatbelt latches

As with a number of different autos in the marketplace, the Ford Bronco is having a tough time staying out of the principal’s workplace. The Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration carried out an audit on Ford’s level automobile for the off-road sector, and did not like the mathematics on the seatbelt latches for the driving force and entrance passenger. A piece on “Occupant Crash Safety” within the ebook of Federal Motor Automobile Security Commonplace (FMVSS No. 208 S7.4.4), accommodates a subsection overlaying “Latch Plate Entry.” The subsection principally lays out how straightforward it must be for driver and passenger to succeed in over their shoulders for the seatbelt latch plate (the half that goes into the buckle), and mandates that the latch plate should not be crammed between automobile trim or furnishings.

Seems that within the five-door Bronco, however not the two-door Bronco, the latch plate is not given sufficient room between the seat again and inside trim for straightforward entry. The fear is that driver and passenger will merely not put on the belts as a substitute of presumably needing to fish for them, therefore the recall. 

Ford stated the 175,550 five-door Broncos concerned within the recall have been constructed between September 23, 2020, and Could 9, 2023. Each one in every of them is predicted to endure from the problem. The breakdown by mannequin yr is:

• 39,302 2021 Mannequin 12 months 5-Door Broncos
• 88,704 2022 Mannequin 12 months 5-Door Broncos
• 47,544 2023 Mannequin 12 months 5-Door Broncos

The corporate is investigating how the problem acquired previous engineering checks. The repair is a visit to the vendor to have a sliding clip hooked up to the belt that retains the latch in a authorized place. Tech writers may also add a piece to the proprietor’s handbook on “the suitable use” of what’s successfully a elaborate barrette.

Ford says it expects to start mailing letters to homeowners on June 30. Till then, five-door Bronco homeowners can contact their Ford vendor and ask the vendor to search for data for his or her automobile within the Ford On-line Automotive Service Data System (OASIS) database. They’ll additionally contact Ford customer support at 866-436-7332 and seek advice from inside recall quantity 23C16. A 3rd choice is to get in contact with the NHTSA Automobile Security Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov, and search for marketing campaign quantity 23V358.