Ford Motor Company is recalling 179,698 Bronco sport utility vehicles and Ranger pickup trucks over a front seat height-adjust pivot bolt that can loosen or fall out entirely, leaving occupants without proper crash restraint.
The recall covers certain 2024, 2026 Ranger and Bronco vehicles whose front seat frame height-adjust pivot bolt may be loose or missing. If unrepaired, the defect could allow a seat to fail to properly restrain an occupant in a crash.
What the defect involves
In total, 179,698 vehicles are affected: 62,255 Ford Ranger pickup trucks and 117,443 Ford Bronco SUVs from model years 2024 to 2026. Production dates run from November 1, 2024, to October 1, 2025.
Affected vehicles are equipped with front seat height-adjust pivot link bolts that may loosen or dislodge from the pivot joint on one or both front seats. The compromised thread adhesive patch, in conjunction with vibration associated with road loads, may result in a reduced break-away torque that can lead to loosening of the front seat pivot bolts.
The defect can affect either the driver or passenger seat. Rear seats, which have no height-adjust mechanism, are not involved.
A seat with a dislodged bolt may not properly restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
A supplier error at the root
According to NHTSA recall documents, the seat structure assembly supplier initiated a process to check the torque of the front seat frame height adjustment pivot bolts. This action inadvertently disrupted the curing of the adhesive patch on the threaded fastener, which can allow a pivot bolt to loosen over time and eventually dislodge. The supplier was identified as Magna Seating in the recall materials.
On March 13, 2026, the Critical Concern Review Group confirmed an increasing number of warranty reports for the monitored vehicle population.
As of April 10, 2026, Ford was aware of 60 warranty claims and one field report, representing 59 unique VINs, for Ford Bronco and Ford Ranger vehicles produced during the time the supplier torque check was in effect. The reports were received from June 2, 2025, through March 27, 2026. Ford is not aware of any reports of accident or injury related to this condition.
This is not Ford’s first encounter with the front seat pivot bolt issue. In October 2025, Ford issued recall 25SB5 (NHTSA 25V721) covering 2020 through 2022 model year vehicles with similar loose front seat pivot bolts. That earlier recall covered 2021 through 2023 Bronco vehicles and involved 163,256 units. Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group continued monitoring an adjacent population, vehicles built in 2024 and 2025 during the supplier torque check window, and the climbing warranty count triggered this second campaign in March 2026.
The repair and timeline
Dealers will inspect and replace the pivot links and bolts as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were expected to be mailed May 11, 2026. Remedy notifications are expected to follow by July 17, 2026.
Ford has not publicly detailed what the permanent fix will entail or why it requires additional lead time beyond the interim repair.
Vehicle identification numbers involved in the recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning April 30, 2026. Owners can also call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford’s internal recall number is 26S30. The recall is listed under NHTSA Campaign Number 26V268.
The action is part of a wider pattern of Ford safety campaigns in 2026. The automaker also issued a separate Ford recall covering 741,195 trucks and SUVs due to a rollaway risk. That recall affects certain versions of the F-150 pickup and Explorer and Expedition SUVs, along with the Lincoln Navigator and Aviator.
The seat pivot bolt campaign adds nearly 180,000 more vehicles to the year’s running tally. Owners are advised to check NHTSA.gov/recalls by entering their 17-character VIN to determine whether any open recall applies to their specific vehicle.
