Ford Seat Recalls Involving Unlocked Seatbacks and Unexpected Movement
Repeated seat locking concerns dominate the supplied Ford notices. Several conversion companies identify Freedman GO-ES foldaway seats on Transit vehicles, with multiple notices covering 2015-2018 models; the cushions may not remain locked under load. Explorer also appears repeatedly: the 2019 recliner notice includes specified front or rear seating configurations, while the 2025 and 2026 notices describe binding easy-entry switches and unexpected second-row seat movement. The latter notice covers 2020-2026 Explorer vehicles. Separate 2018 Expedition notices address second-row outboard adjustment or attachment problems and missing center seat reinforcement brackets. Other defects concern child seat installation in 2020-2021 Ranger SuperCab vehicles and front seat pivot bolts in 2021-2023 Bronco vehicles.
Warning signs to watch for
- 2025 Explorer and Aviator second-row seat recall, 25S67: seats may unlatch, fold, or slide unexpectedly while driving.
- July 2026 Explorer and Aviator second-row seat recall: seats may unlatch, tip, or slide unexpectedly.
- 2019 seat recliner recall, 19C07: a loose seatback.
- 2021 Ranger SuperCab rear seat recall: fixed head restraints may interfere with installing certain child seats.
Can you keep driving? What the notices say
None of the supplied Ford seat notices tells owners to stop driving, and none gives a park-outside instruction. That includes the conversion-company foldaway seat notices, the manual recliner recall, both easy-entry second-row switch notices, the Bronco pivot bolt recall, the Ranger child restraint anchorage notice, and the Expedition second-row notices. The notices describe increased injury risk if a seat or child restraint does not restrain an occupant properly, but they do not provide a stop-driving instruction for these defects.
What the free repair involves
Quality Van, Waldoch, MobilityTrans, and National Van specify free foldaway seat inspection and repair. Recall 19C07 provides free seat structure inspection and replacement as necessary. Recall 25S67 specifies free second-row switch inspection and bezel replacement as necessary. Recall 25SB5 provides free inspection and replacement of Bronco pivot links and bolts as necessary.
Severity at a glance
| Severity | Recalls |
|---|---|
| high | 9 |
| medium | 12 |
Models affected most
Where owners report seats problems most
NHTSA owner complaints filed under seats for the Ford models and years in this guide. Complaints are unverified reports and are not limited to the recalled defects.
| Vehicle | Seats complaints |
|---|---|
| 2024 Ford Explorer | 2 |
Every recall in this group
Common questions
Why can an Explorer second-row seat move unexpectedly?
The 2025 and July 2026 notices describe an easy-entry outer seat switch that may bind or stick. The 2025 notice names unlatching, folding, or sliding while driving; the 2026 notice names unlatching, tipping, or sliding unexpectedly.
Do the Transit seat notices concern converted vans?
Several supplied notices identify Transit vehicles equipped with Freedman GO-ES foldaway seats by conversion companies. They describe cushions that may not remain locked under load. The specific converter, vehicle years, and seat details differ among these notices.
What does the Ranger rear seat recall change?
The September 2021 notice covers certain 2020-2021 Ranger SuperCab vehicles with fixed rear head restraints. Dealers inspect rear-lower child restraint anchorage alignment and adjust as necessary. Separately, they replace the fixed head restraints with removable ones, free of charge.
A recall applies only to specific vehicles. Check your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.