As we head into May, Ford's recall train keeps on chugging. The latest, number 34 according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), involves the Ranger pickup and Bronco SUV. There's a problem with seat bolts in the front seats that could work loose over time. Fortunately, there aren't accidents or injuries Ford is aware of as a result. But warranty claims do show there's a problem.FordSpecifically, the recall covers 2024 through 2026 model-year vehicles, affecting 179,698 trucks and SUVs in total. Here's what you need to know about the problem, and how Ford will fix it. Loose Bolts In The Seat Frame FordPer NHTSA documents, one or more of the seat frame height-adjust pivot bolts could become loose or dislodged in the frame. This is part of the pivot joint in the front seats, either the driver or passenger side. Since the rear seats have no such adjustments, they are unaffected. The recall report states that Ford's seat structure supplier "initiated a process to check the torque" of the aforementioned seat bolts, but apparently, that check "disrupted the curing of the adhesive patch on the threaded fastener...."It's not uncommon to use adhesives like Loctite on threaded fasteners to help ensure they don't work loose. The recall documents make no mention of the kind of adheasive used, but the takeaway is this: checking the torque of the bolts after installantion apparently caused the adhesive to not do its thing. As the bolts are subjected to the weight and motion of people climbing into and out of seats, they can work loose. Obviously, loose seat bolts present a safety risk, especially in a crash.If this sounds familiar, there was a previous recall (NHTSA 25V721) issued last October for the same problem. That recall covered 163,256 Broncos from 2021 through 2023. Ford continued to study the issue and decided to expand further, hence the new recall that now includes Ranger. A Simple Fix FordThe good news is that Ford already has a fix in place, and it's about as straightforward as you might imagine. Owners of affected vehicles will stop in at a Ford dealer to have the front seats removed and inspected. If any bolt "fails inspection" it will be replaced. Presumably, a failed inspection will be anything that's loose. Dealer notification on recalled vehicles is already underway. Specific owner notification should start in July and be completed by July 17. Ford Says Quality Is Improving, And Yet.... FordCarBuzzrecently chatted with Ford about its recall situation. It's no secret that the company has... had a few recalls in the last couple of years. A spokesperson pointed out that, despite the number of recalls, Ford's warranty costs were actually down by $500 million in 2025 and spent less than crosstown rivals GM and Stellantis. Additionally, many of Ford's recalls in 2025 were audits – double-checks to basically ensure previous recalls were done correctly.Furthermore, Ford explained that 90% of its recent recalls were on older vehicles from 2015 through 2022, and that quality was improving for its current models. These are all noteworthy points amid Ford's recall dilemma.That said, this latest recall decidedly affects current models outside that period of questionable quality, and it's not the only one by a long shot. Earlier in April, Ford recalled 4,351 F-59 and F-53 commercial vehicles from 2025 and 2026 for missing nuts in front axle hub assemblies. Another Bronco recall in early April affected approximately 5,000 vehicles from 2021 through 2025 for misaligned transmissions. And again in early April, 140,000 Rangers from 2024 through 2026 were recalled for potential fires from wiring in sun visors.Ford told CarBuzz that the current recall trend probably won't die down this year, as the company continues working through quality issues from previous-generation. But seeing more recalls from 2023 model-year and newer vehicles certainly isn't an encouraging sign of things to come.