Ford Motor Co. announced a massive recall of vehicles in the U.S. and Canada on June 3, 2026, due to seat-belt and suspension defects.
These recalls highlight critical safety failures that could lead to catastrophic injuries or loss of vehicle control during operation. The severity of the suspension flaw has prompted the company to tell some owners to stop driving their vehicles immediately.
In the United States, Ford is recalling almost 420,000 [2] vehicles because of a seat-belt issue. A similar recall is underway in Canada, affecting more than 13,700 [1] vehicles. The company said a defective seat-belt could fail to properly restrain occupants during a crash [2].
Separate from the seat-belt recall, Ford issued a "do-not-drive" warning for specific Bronco Sport and Maverick models. This warning affects 4,653 [3] vehicles. The company said it identified a problem with the front-suspension ball joint that could lead to a total loss of steering [3]. Such a failure significantly increases the risk of a crash.
While some reports describe the suspension warning as affecting thousands of vehicles [4], the specific count stands at 4,653 [3]. The company is coordinating with safety regulators to address both the restraint system failures and the steering risks across North America.
Owners are encouraged to check their vehicle identification numbers to see if their cars are included in either the seat-belt recall or the suspension warning. The company has not yet provided a specific timeline for all repairs, but it has prioritized the "do-not-drive" models due to the immediate risk of steering failure.
“A defective seat-belt could fail to restrain occupants in a crash”
The duality of these recalls—one a standard safety fix and the other a critical 'do-not-drive' order—indicates a range of manufacturing failures. While seat-belt recalls are common, a suspension failure that threatens steering control is a high-severity event that typically leads to increased regulatory scrutiny from the NHTSA and potential liability for the manufacturer.
