Safety Recall 20S48 – 1st Row Seatback Subassembly Fastener Torque – 2020 Ford Explorer & 2020 Lincoln Aviator

August 21, 2020 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V497000

Side Air Bag may be Loose in Seat Back

If the side air bag or seat back fasteners were not properly tightened, the side air bag deployment could be affected, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V497

Manufacturer Ford Motor Company

Components AIR BAGS, SEATS

Potential Number of Units Affected 488

 

Summary

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Explorer and 2020 Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The side air bag and/or seat back module attachments may not have been properly tightened in the front seat backs.

 

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove front seat back panels from one or both front seats (VIN-specific) and verify that the fasteners have been properly tightened, free of charge. The recall began September 10, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford’s number for this recall is 20S48.

 

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

 

Check if your Vehicle has a Recall

 


August 24, 2020

TO: All U.S. Ford and Lincoln Dealers

SUBJECT: NEW VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION / DELIVERY HOLD Safety Recall 20S48
Certain 2020 Model Year Aviator and Explorer
1st Row Seatback Subassembly Fastener Torque

 

AFFECTED VEHICLES

VehicleModel YearAssembly PlantBuild Dates
Aviator2020Chicago AssemblyApril 11, 2019 through July 30, 2020
Explorer2020Chicago AssemblyApril 11, 2019 through June 4, 2020

 

Affected vehicles are identified in OASIS and FSA VIN Lists.

 

REASON FOR THIS SAFETY RECALL

In the affected vehicles, it may be possible that one or more of the front row seatback subassembly fasteners were not tightened to the proper torque during vehicle assembly. An improperly torqued seatback subassembly may affect the trajectory of the side air bag deployment and could prevent or delay the air bag cushion from positioning correctly, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

 

SERVICE ACTION

Before demonstrating or delivering any new in-stock vehicles involved in this recall, dealers are to torque the fasteners on either the driver, front passenger or both seatback subassemblies.

The Service Manager is responsible to ensure that the repair procedure has been performed completely and properly and is required to sign off on the repair order. This service must be performed on all affected vehicles at no charge to the vehicle owner.

 

OWNER NOTIFICATION AND MAILING SCHEDULE

Owner letters are expected to be mailed the week of September 7, 2020. Dealers should repair any affected vehicles that arrive at their dealerships, whether or not the customer has received a letter.

PLEASE NOTE:

Federal law requires dealers to complete this recall service before a new vehicle is delivered to the buyer or lessee. Violation of this requirement by a dealer could result in a civil penalty of up to $21,000 per vehicle. Correct all vehicles in your new vehicle inventory before delivery.

 

ATTACHMENTS

Attachment I: Administrative Information
Attachment II: Labor Allowances and Parts Ordering Information
Attachment III: Technical Information
Attachment IV: VIN List
Owner Notification Letters

 

QUESTIONS & ASSISTANCE

For questions and assistance, contact the Special Service Support Center (SSSC) via the SSSC Web Contact Site. The SSSC Web Contact Site can be accessed through the Professional Technician Society (PTS) website using the SSSC link listed at the bottom of the OASIS VIN report screen or listed under the SSSC tab.

Sincerely,

 

David J. Johnson


ATTACHMENT I

NEW VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION / DELIVERY HOLD
Safety Recall 20S48
Certain 2020 Model Year Aviator and Explorer
1st Row Seatback Subassembly Fastener Torque

 

OASIS ACTIVATION

OASIS will be activated on August 24, 2020.

 

FSA VIN LISTS ACTIVATION

FSA VIN Lists will be available through https://web.fsavinlists.dealerconnection.com on August 24, 2020. Owner names and addresses will be available by September 9, 2020.

NOTE: Your FSA VIN Lists may contain owner names and addresses obtained from motor vehicle registration records. The use of such motor vehicle registration data for any purpose other than in connection with this recall is a violation of law in several states, provinces, and countries. Accordingly, you must limit the use of this listing to the follow-up necessary to complete this recall.

 

SOLD VEHICLES

  • Ford has not issued instructions to stop selling/delivering or driving used vehicles under this safety Owners should contact their dealer for an appointment to have their vehicles remedied as soon as practicable. Owners can continue to safely drive their vehicles.
  • Immediately contact any of your affected customers whose vehicles are not on your VIN list but are identified in OASIS. Give the customer a copy of the Owner Notification Letter (when available) and schedule a service date.
  • Correct other affected vehicles identified in OASIS which are brought to your dealership.
  • Dealers are to prioritize repairs of customer vehicles over repairs of new and used vehicle inventory.

 

STOCK VEHICLES

  • Correct all affected units in your new vehicle inventory before delivery.
  • Use OASIS to identify any affected vehicles in your used vehicle inventory.

 

DEALER-OPERATED RENTAL VEHICLES

The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act law effective June 2016 prohibits a rental company from selling, renting or leasing vehicles subject to a safety or compliance recall. Please consult your legal counsel for legal advice.

 

TITLE BRANDED / SALVAGED VEHICLES

Affected title branded and salvaged vehicles are eligible for this recall.

 

OWNER REFUNDS

Refunds are not approved for this program.

 

RENTAL VEHICLES

Rental vehicles are not approved for this program.

 

ADDITIONAL REPAIR (LABOR TIME AND/OR PARTS)

Additional repairs identified as necessary to complete the FSA should be managed as follows:

  • For related damage and access time requirements, refer to the Warranty and Policy Manual / Section 6 – Ford & Lincoln Program Policies / General Information & Special Circumstances for FSA’s / Related Damage.
  • For vehicles within new vehicle bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage, no SSSC approval is required, although related damage must be on a separate repair line with the “Related Damage” radio button checked.
    • Ford vehicles – 3 years or 36,000 miles o Lincoln vehicles – 4 years or 50,000 miles
  • For vehicles outside new vehicle bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage, submit an Approval Request to the SSSC Web Contact Site prior to completing the repair.

 

CLAIMS PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION

  • Claim Entry: Enter claims using Dealer Management System (DMS) or One Warranty Solution (OWS) online.
    • When entering claims, select claim type 31: Field Service Action. The FSA number 20S48 is the sub code.
    • For additional claims preparation and submission information, refer to the Recall and Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP) Repairs in the OWS User Guide.
  • Related Damage/Additional labor and/or parts: Must be claimed as Related Damage on a separate repair line from the FSA with same claim type and sub code as described in Claim Entry above.

IMPORTANT: Click the Related Damage Indicator radio button.


ATTACHMENT II

NEW VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION / DELIVERY HOLD
Safety Recall 20S48
Certain 2020 Model Year Aviator and Explorer
1st Row Seatback Subassembly Fastener Torque

 

LABOR ALLOWANCES

DescriptionLabor OperationLabor Time
Torque Both front row driver and passenger seatback fasteners20S48B0.5 Hours
Torque One front driver OR front passenger seatback fasteners20S48C0.3 Hours

 

PARTS REQUIREMENTS / ORDERING INFORMATION
SSSC Web Contact Site:

If any fasteners are found to be missing submit a VIN-specific Part Order contact via the SSSC Web Contact Site and send a picture to the SSSC if fastener is missing.

 

DEALER PRICE 

For latest prices, refer to DOES II.

 

PARTS RETENTION AND RETURN

Follow the provisions of the Warranty and Policy Manual, Section 1 – WARRANTY PARTS RETENTION AND RETURN POLICIES.

 

EXCESS STOCK RETURN

Excess stock returned for credit must have been purchased from Ford Customer Service Division in accordance with Policy Procedure Bulletin 4000.


ATTACHMENT III

CERTAIN 2020 MODEL YEAR AVIATOR AND EXPLORER VEHICLES — 1ST ROW SEAT BACK FASTENER TORQUE

 

SERVICE PROCEDURE

1. Refer to Attachment IV – Repair Table to determine the correct action and parts necessary. To search for a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), click the search icon in the upper left corner of the Attachment IV, then type the VIN into the search field. See Figure 1.

2. Is the VIN listed?

  • No – This program does not apply to this vehicle.
  • Yes – Proceed to Step 3.

3. Ensure the vehicle is on a flat level surface and apply the parking brake.

 

NOTE: This procedure is to be performed on the driver and/or passenger seats.

 

NOTE: Removal of the front seats is not required to complete this procedure.

 

4. Move the front seat forward and upward to the highest position for better access when performing this procedure.

5. Remove the front seat backrest panel. Please follow the Workshop Manual (WSM) procedures in Section 501-01A.

6. Torque the fasteners.

  • For corresponding fasteners – See Figure 2.
  • For Aviator – See Figure 3.
  • For Explorer – See Figure 4.

 

NOTE: If any of the fasteners are missing they will need to be ordered, installed and torqued to specification.

 

NOTE: Each seat does not have all the same fasteners in the same locations, please review the figures carefully.

 

NOTE: Seats shown on bench for clarity.

 

NOTE: The Service Manager is responsible to ensure that the repair procedure has been performed completely and properly and is required to sign off on the repair order.

 

7. Re-install the front seat backrest panel. Please follow the WSM procedures in Section 501-01A.

8. Return the front seat(s) to its original position.

 


 


Ford Media Center

FORD MOTOR COMPANY ISSUES SAFETY RECALL FOR SELECT 2020 FORD EXPLORER AND LINCOLN AVIATOR VEHICLES

Aug 25, 2020 | DEARBORN, Mich.

DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 25, 2020 – Ford Motor Company is issuing a safety recall for 528 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. Affected 2020 models are equipped with front seatbacks that may have fasteners with incorrect torque on the side airbag and/or seatback module attachments. If the side airbag and seatback module are not fully secured, it could affect the trajectory of the side airbag deployment and may prevent or delay the airbag cushion from positioning correctly, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

Ford is not aware of any reports of accident or injury related to this condition.

This action affects 491 vehicles in the U.S. and federal territories, 34 in Canada and three in Mexico.

Affected vehicles are as follows:

  • 2020 Ford Explorer vehicles built at Chicago Assembly Plant from Nov. 19, 2019, to June 4, 2020, and 2020 Lincoln Aviator vehicles built there from April 11, 2019, to June 8, 2020

Dealers will remove the front seatback panels from one or both front seats and verify the proper torque on the fasteners. The Ford reference number for this recall is 20S48.

 


2 Affected Products

Vehicles

MAKEMODELYEAR
FORDEXPLORER2020
LINCOLNAVIATOR2020

 


10 Associated Documents

Recall Quarterly Report #4, 2021-2

RCLQRT-20V497-1435.PDF 211.423KB

 


Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-20V497-7322.PDF 215.96KB

 


Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-20V497-2655.pdf 244.099KB

 


Miscellaneous Document – FORD MOTOR COMPANY ISSUES SAFETY RECALL FOR SELECT 2020 FORD EXPLORER AND LINCOLN AVIATORVE HICLES

RMISC-20V497-5594.pdf 57.764KB

 


Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc) – Dealer Notification re NEW VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION / DELIVERY HOLD – Safety Recall 20S48 Certain 2020 Model Year Aviator and Explorer 1st Row Seatback Subassembly Fastener Torque

RCMN-20V497-1160.pdf 666.648KB

 


Recall Quarterly Report

RCLQRT-20V497-3625.PDF 211.311KB

 


Recall Quarterly Report #2, 2020-4

RCLQRT-20V497-9192.PDF 211.23KB

 


Recall Quarterly Report #1, 2020-3

RCLQRT-20V497-3627.PDF 211.132KB

 


ISSUED Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RCONL-20V497-4498.pdf 91.072KB

 


Recall Quarterly Report #5, 2021-3

RCLQRT-20V497-7339.PDF 211.535KB

 


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