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Ford Transit foldaway seats may not lock in place

NHTSA campaign 18V782000 · Reported 2018-11-06 · National Van Builders, Inc.

medium How serious is it? About this label

This raises the risk of injury to the person in that seat during a crash or sudden stop; the notice does not tell owners to stop driving, so keep the affected seat unused until it is fixed if you can.

What's wrong, in plain English

These Ford Transit vans have Freedman GO-ES foldaway seats. When you swing the bottom seat cushion down from its stowed position into the upright, ready-to-sit position, it may not actually lock. Under heavy load — such as a crash or a hard, sudden stop — the seat can move instead of staying put. Anyone sitting in that seat is not properly supported and could be hurt more badly than they otherwise would be. The dealer inspects the foldaway seat and repairs it.

What you should do

1. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm your Transit is included. 2. Contact National Van Builders customer service at 1-508-222-2272, or your dealer, to arrange the seat inspection. 3. Have the seat inspected and repaired — the repair is free.

Affected vehicles (1)

2018 Ford Transit

Who to contact

Ford — official Ford recall lookup

Customer service: 1-866-436-7332

Any franchised dealer for the brand can do the repair. Phone numbers are taken from manufacturer sites and recent NHTSA notices; if one has changed, the number in your own recall letter is the one to use.

The bigger picture

Ford seat recalls: loose seat backs and foldaway van seats · all 21 Ford recalls in this area

Official notice

Component: SEATS
Summary: National Van Builders, Inc. (National Van) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit vehicles equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats, part numbers 43705, 45467, 48923, and 75719. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, "Seating Systems."
Safety risk: In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.
Remedy: National Van will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall began November 26, 2018. Owners may contact National Van customer service at 1-508-222-2272.

Verify your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov. Recall repairs are free of charge by law.