36,994 Lincoln Navigators Can Move the Front Passenger Seat on Their Own

• Ford is recalling 36,994 Lincoln Navigators from the 2025, 2026 and 2027 model years over a software fault that can send the front passenger seat forward, backward or into a recline with no one touching a control.
• NHTSA says a seat that moves by itself can strike second-row passengers or put the front passenger in an unsafe position, which raises the risk of injury.
• Owners can enter a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls today, and Ford dealers will update the software for free, with owner letters expected in November.

Your Navigator’s Passenger Seat Has a Mind of Its Own, and Ford Knows Why

Ford filed the recall with NHTSA on October 20, 2026, as campaign 26V691. Ford’s own number for it is 26S77. The filing covers 36,994 Lincoln Navigators across three model years: 2025, 2026 and 2027.

The fault sits in the rear audio control module, which the filing calls the RACM. NHTSA’s record says the module can command the chauffeur seat feature by mistake. When it does, the front passenger seat adjusts forward, rearward or reclines with no input from the person sitting in it.

The agency names two ways that goes wrong. A moving front seat can strike second-row passengers, and it can leave the front passenger sitting in a spot that raises the chance of harm. In both cases NHTSA states the result as a higher risk of injury. The component category on the filing is the front power adjust seat assembly.

NHTSA also records that the recall carries no park-it or park-outside instruction. Nothing in the agency’s record tells owners to stop driving the SUV. The action it asks for is to find out whether the VIN is on the list and to book the software update.

Who Is Covered and How to Check Your VIN in Two Minutes

The recall spans three model years, and the 2025 Navigator is on the list. Ford’s count of 36,994 is the number of vehicles that could carry the fault. NHTSA’s wording is “certain” vehicles, so the VIN lookup is the only way to know whether a given SUV is one of them.

The VINs became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 26, 2026, six days after Ford’s filing reached the agency. The filing expects the owner letters in November 2026. That gap means a Navigator owner can learn about the recall from the database before any envelope arrives.

Here is how to look it up.

Find the 17-character VIN on the lower left of the windshield. It is also printed on the registration card and sometimes appears on the insurance card. Type it into the search box at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A vehicle with an open recall shows it. A clean result reads “0 unrepaired recalls associated with this VIN.”

NHTSA’s page adds two limits worth knowing. The search does not show a recall that has already been repaired. It also cannot always show a recently announced recall in full, as the agency identifies VINs in stages, adds them continuously and asks owners to check regularly. An owner who sees no result today has a reason to search again in a week or two.

Prefer to talk to a person? NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline is 888-327-4236. Ford customer service takes recall calls at 1-866-436-7332, and the Ford number to quote is 26S77. NHTSA also offers a free SaferCar app that flags recalls for vehicles an owner registers, and its guidance is to check recalls twice a year.

What the Fix Involves and When Letters Arrive

Dealers will update the software in two modules: the accessory protocol interface module, known as the APIM, and the RACM. The update disables chauffeur mode on the vehicle. The repair costs the owner nothing.

NHTSA’s record says dealers will do the work and does not mention an over-the-air download, so owners should plan a dealer visit. Two earlier 2026 Navigator recalls allowed either a dealer visit or an over-the-air update, so this one asks more of the owner.

Under NHTSA’s rule, the mail notice to registered owners is due inside 60 days of the manufacturer telling the agency about its recall decision. The filing expects Ford’s letters in November 2026. NHTSA’s advice once a letter lands is to follow any interim safety guidance in it and to contact a local dealership to have the part fixed for free.

The fix turns chauffeur mode off on the SUV. NHTSA’s record does not describe how owners normally use the feature, so an owner who relies on it should ask the dealer what changes once the update is installed.

The Second Power Seat Recall on the 2026 Navigator This Year

NHTSA’s list for the 2026 model year Navigator now shows three recalls with 2026 campaign numbers, and two of them concern the power seats.

The first came on March 3, 2026, when Ford reported campaign 26V120. It covered 1,189 SUVs from the 2026 model year and concerned the driver seat. Obstacle detection software for that seat could malfunction at low speeds, and the seat could reverse unexpectedly while the vehicle was moving. NHTSA wrote that the movement could affect the driver’s ability to control the vehicle and raise the risk of a crash. Ford mailed letters on March 13, 2026, and the fix was a seat control module software update from a dealer or over the air.

The other, filed on February 21, 2026 as 26V104, deals with trailer brake control and spans a long list of Ford trucks and SUVs, including the 2022 to 2027 Navigator. Its fix is also a software update.

Ford’s seat problems reach beyond the Navigator. In July, Ford filed 26V451, which covers 2020 to 2027 Aviators and 2020 to 2026 Explorers whose easy-entry second-row switch can bind and leave the seat unlatched, tipping or sliding. That recall covers 387,911 vehicles, and our report explains the seats that can slide or unlatch. Days later, on July 21, came 26V470 for 2025 to 2027 Explorers and Aviators, where an empty driver seat can recline by itself after a remote unlock or remote start and trap a second-row passenger.

The driver seat recline recall has its own write-up on seats that recline on their own.

Those two recalls cover the Explorer and Aviator. Add 26V120 and 26V691, and NHTSA’s 2026 model year lists for the Navigator, Explorer and Aviator show four seat recalls filed from March onward. A separate and older Ford action covered seat belts that can lock up on Expeditions and Navigators built between 2018 and 2022, so it does not touch the SUVs in this recall.

An Owner Complaint Points to a Different Problem in the Second Row

A separate document sits in NHTSA’s complaint database. On October 29, 2026, nine days after Ford filed the recall, the owner of a 2026 Navigator Black Label filed complaint 11774429 about an incident dated October 28. The complaint is unverified. It is one owner’s account, and the agency’s record does not link it to the passenger seat recall.

The owner describes a different problem, in the second row. The power captain’s chairs there, the owner says, move forward and backward while someone is seated in them, and they keep going when they press against a person. The owner says the seats halt when they meet a box on the floor, and believes nothing in the seat senses a seated person and stops the travel. The owner adds that a rear button within reach of a young child and a set of front controls near the massage control can start the movement, and says children and adults have been squeezed. The complaint records no crash, no fire, no injuries and no medical care, and the vehicle had about 1,104 miles on it.

The owner says the Lincoln Client Relationship Center located neither a recall nor a service bulletin on the condition and that no dealer has inspected the SUV yet. The request to NHTSA is to review whether second-row power seats need pinch or obstruction protection, or occupant detection.

For context, that is the only complaint on file for the 2026 Navigator. The 2027 model year has none. The 14 complaints filed for the 2025 Navigator cover brakes, steering, sunroof glass, driver assistance and similar topics, and none of the summaries describes a seat moving.

What to Do While You Wait for the Letter

Start with the VIN search and write down the result with the date. If the Navigator is on the list, call a Lincoln dealer and ask for an appointment to have the APIM and RACM software updated. Quote campaign 26V691 and Ford number 26S77. This step is practical advice, not an NHTSA instruction.

Until the repair is done, the same advice applies. Keep the space between the front passenger seat and the second row clear of children’s limbs, bags and car seats when loading. Seat children behind the driver rather than behind a front passenger seat that can move unexpectedly, and check that the front passenger seat is upright and clear of the second row before pulling away. Again, this is general caution, and NHTSA has not issued it.

Report anything that goes beyond the recall. NHTSA takes safety complaints through the Report a Safety Problem link on its website. An owner who has had the update and still sees a seat move on its own should file one and tell the dealer.

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Sources

• NHTSA: Recall campaign 26V691, Lincoln Navigator
• NHTSA: Check for Recalls
• NHTSA: Consumer complaints, 2026 Lincoln Navigator

Reviewed by Preetam Gadekar