Ford Explorer Recall Over Passenger Air Bag Vent Issue
NHTSA classifies this as an Air Bag recall. An air bag recall addresses a defect in the air bag system itself, such as the inflator, sensor, or control unit, rather than in another vehicle system. Air Bag recalls make up 4% of the 637 NHTSA vehicle recalls Areazine has archived (23 of them).
Read this recall in 30 seconds
- Hazard category
- Air Bag
- Share of archive
- 4% of 637 recalls
- Source
- NHTSA
- Published
- September 16, 2026
An air bag recall addresses a defect in the air bag system itself, such as the inflator, sensor, or control unit, rather than in another vehicle system.
Record status: a point-in-time snapshot of NHTSA's recall notice. Confirm your exact VIN is affected via NHTSA's own VIN lookup tool before acting, since recall scope is set by build date and trim, not model year alone.
What Happened
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer vehicles. The active vent on the passenger side may not open as intended, preventing the air bag from deploying properly.
Which Products Are Affected
The recall affects 7 units of 2026 Ford Explorer vehicles. The NHTSA Campaign Number is 26V581000 and Ford's recall number is 26S65. The component involved is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL.
What You Should Do
Dealers will replace the passenger air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 25, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on September 14, 2026.
Why This Matters
An air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.
Source
NHTSA Campaign Number 26V581000 - Ford Motor Company
Original source: NHTSA Official Notice ↗
Related Vehicle Recalls
All Vehicle Recalls →Similar notices nationwide by length or severity timing 8
Two cross-category peer sets, both computed from Areazine's own archive: notices with a similar body length, and notices near the same severity and agency date. These are drawn from other categories, not the same-feed Related list above.
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