Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.The Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator just can't catch a break. There's yet another recall on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, and it's a serious one, affecting the safety of these popular family SUVs. The NHTSA says that the seat belt pretensioners in the front rows of the SUVs "may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend." As a result, the seat belt may fail to restrain occupants as intended, which increases the risk of injury in a crash. Let's take a closer look.The Latest Safety Issue with the Ford Expedition and Lincoln NavigatorFordThe NHTSA recall report names 77,684 2018-2022 Lincoln Navigator SUVs, produced between May 15, 2017, and October 26, 2022, along with 342,283 Ford Expedition SUVs produced between May 15, 2017, and October 25, 2022. That's a grand total of 419,967 vehicles, and Ford says the problem is caused by the propellant in the retractor pretensioner degrading in high-heat environments. This can cause oxidation of internal components, eventually leading to inadvertent pretensioner deployment, and along with the seat belt potentially failing to retract or extend, "inadvertent pretensioner deployment can cause occupant injury due to rapid seat belt retraction." Fortunately, there are warning signs.AdvertisementAdvertisementRelated: Ford Tells Thousands Of Bronco Sport And Maverick Owners Not To Drive Over Crash RiskFord says that if the problem manifests, the occupant will notice the faulty functioning of the belt, and an airbag malfunction light will also show in the cluster before the seat belt retractor pretensioner deploys inadvertently. Still, this is an issue that Ford has already tried to fix twice before (with recalls 24S06 and 25S31), and the automaker is aware of one injury related to the problem. So what's the solution, and is it an easy fix?Ford's Seat Belt Problem and SolutionLincolnExtensive testing from the beginning of 2026 until last month revealed that the inadvertent deployment of the pretensioner only occurred when there was a specific combination of propellant and stabilizer, and after testing a new micro gas generator propellant and stabilizer combination, the pretensioner issue was gone, thanks to minimal internal corrosion of the bridgewire and isolated pin and improved chemical stability. Those with affected vehicles are asked to visit a local dealer for inspection, and if this reveals a pretensioner produced within the affected date range, the dealer will replace one or both pretensioners with the updated component. Customers can expect an interim notification between Monday and Friday next week, but a remedy notification is only planned for between August 31 and September 4, 2026. That means roughly three months of driving with potentially dangerous safety belt.This story was originally published by Autoblog on Jun 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.