Ford Recalls 387,911 Explorers and Lincoln Aviators Over Seats That Can Slide or Unlatch

Ford Motor Company is recalling 387,911 SUVs after finding that a defect in the second-row seats can let them slide, tip forward or unlatch while the vehicle is moving. The recall covers 2020 to 2026 Ford Explorer models and their upscale sibling, the 2020 to 2027 Lincoln Aviator, two of the most common three-row family SUVs on American roads.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration filed the recall under campaign number 26V451000. In its notice, the agency put the risk in plain terms: “A seat that moves unexpectedly may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.” Ford’s internal reference for the fix is 26S52.

What Is Actually Wrong With the Seats

The problem sits inside the “easy-entry” release switch fitted to the outer second-row seats, the button passengers press to fold and slide a seat forward so people can climb into the third row. Around that switch sits a plastic trim bezel. Over time and use, the bezel can shift out of position or come loose. When it does, the switch can bind or stick, and the seat it controls can move on its own while someone is riding in it, or while it is empty and cargo shifts against it.

Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group, the internal team that reviews safety complaints before they become recalls, had logged 14 reports as of June 16 of a second-row seat moving without warning while the vehicle was in drive. NHTSA’s recall paperwork states that nearly every vehicle in the affected population likely carries the defect. The bezel and switch assembly were built this way from the start of the production run rather than through a one-off manufacturing slip, which is why the recall reaches all the way back to the 2020 model year on both nameplates.

An unlatched or sliding second-row seat is not just an inconvenience. If a crash happens while the seat is out of position, the belt geometry designed to hold a passenger in place no longer lines up the way engineers intended, and the risk of injury rises accordingly. Parents who use the second row as a booster seat position for older children should treat the notice seriously once it arrives.

Which Explorers and Aviators Are Covered

The recall spans seven model years of the Explorer, 2020 through 2026, and eight of the Aviator, 2020 through 2027, reflecting how long this generation of both SUVs has stayed in production with only modest updates to the body-in-white. Ford has not published a state-by-state breakdown of where the affected vehicles are registered, but the Explorer has ranked among the best-selling three-row SUVs in the country for years, and the Aviator has grown into one of Lincoln’s top sellers as the brand leaned into three-row luxury SUVs over sedans.

Owners can already check whether a specific vehicle is included by entering the VIN at NHTSA.gov/recalls or calling the agency’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236. Ford is also mailing an initial notification letter to every registered owner starting July 27, 2026, describing the defect and the safety risk in writing.

Families who use the second row for a child’s forward-facing car seat or booster have an added reason to check the VIN right away. A booster seat relies on the vehicle’s own seat belt geometry to hold a child correctly across the hips and shoulder, and that geometry assumes the seat underneath is fully latched and stays in one place through a sudden stop. A seat that has crept forward or tipped even slightly changes that geometry in ways a booster was never designed to handle.

What Owners Should Do Now

The remedy itself is simple once parts are available: a dealer inspects the bezel around the easy-entry switch and replaces it free of charge if it shows the wear pattern linked to the defect. Ford has not yet finished sourcing the replacement part in the volumes needed for 387,911 vehicles, so the July 27 letter functions as a safety notice rather than a repair appointment. A second letter, expected in January 2027, will tell owners the part is ready and invite them to schedule the free fix.

In the meantime, Ford and NHTSA recommend treating the second-row outer seats with some caution: check that they are fully latched before every trip, avoid loading heavy cargo directly against a folded or unlatched seat back, and contact a dealer immediately if a seat moves or feels loose while driving. Owners with questions can call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 and reference recall number 26S52.

A Rough Stretch for Ford’s Recall Record

This is not an isolated event for Ford this year. On July 4, the automaker issued a separate recall covering 741,195 trucks and SUVs, including the F-150 and Explorer, after finding that a transmission park system defect could let a parked vehicle roll away on its own. Ten days later, Ford recalled roughly 177,000 Mustangs, Explorers and Lincoln models over three unrelated defects involving lighting and structural components. Earlier in July, the automaker also pulled in 36,046 Bronco Raptors over fender flares that could detach at speed. Add the 387,911 Explorers and Aviators covered here, and Ford has now recalled well over a million vehicles in July 2026 alone, a run that has made Ford the most active manufacturer for open safety campaigns this summer according to NHTSA’s public recall database.

The pattern reflects a broader shift at NHTSA and the major automakers toward faster identification of small-sample defects. Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group meets on a set weekly schedule specifically to catch patterns like the 14 seat-movement reports before they turn into injuries, rather than waiting for a defect to surface through a crash investigation. Regulators have pushed automakers publicly to report potential defects earlier rather than waiting for larger complaint volumes to build. For consumers, the upside of that shift is more frequent but generally smaller and earlier recalls, found and fixed before they cause the kind of harm that once triggered congressional hearings and multibillion-dollar settlements over defects like faulty ignition switches or exploding airbag inflators.

Ford’s own safety executives describe the volume of 2026 recalls as evidence the review process works as intended, catching problems from a low double-digit number of field reports rather than letting them accumulate for years. Critics of the industry take the opposite reading: the sheer number of recalls this year, at Ford and at rivals including Honda, Hyundai and Stellantis, points to quality control slipping earlier in the design and supplier chain, pushing more defects downstream into vehicles already on dealer lots and in driveways rather than catching them on the assembly line.

For owners, both readings lead to the same practical advice. Register a current phone number and mailing address with Ford or with NHTSA.gov, so recall letters do not sit undelivered at an old address for months. Check a VIN directly rather than waiting for paper mail. Online checks reflect NHTSA’s database within days of a recall filing, long before letters reach mailboxes. And treat any unusual movement in a second-row seat, however minor, as a reason to call a dealer immediately rather than waiting for the second notification letter to arrive in January.

What Happens Next

Ford has told NHTSA it expects the remedy parts to reach dealers on a rolling basis through the rest of 2026, with the January letter marking the point where most dealers should have stock in place. Owners who receive the first letter and do not hear back with a repair appointment by early 2027 can contact Ford directly using the number above, or check the vehicle’s status anytime at NHTSA.gov by entering the VIN found on the driver’s side dashboard or door jamb sticker.

Anyone who has already noticed a second-row seat sliding, tipping or feeling loose in an affected Explorer or Aviator does not need to wait for the letter. Dealers can open a case and inspect the seat now, even before the formal remedy part ships, and Ford’s customer service line can help locate a dealer with diagnostic capacity to do that inspection sooner.

Sources:

• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ford-recalls-explorers-aviators-seat-issue/
• https://www.nhtsa.gov/?nhtsaId=26V451000
• https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/ford-recalls-nearly-388000-vehicles-over-second-row-seat-injury-hazard