Ford Recalls Super Duty Vehicles for Carpet Fires

Same unnamed supplier, same post-crash smoky interior?  Click to Enlarge.

Ford Motor Company is issuing a safety recall for 2017-19 Ford Super Duty and SuperCrew vehicles with carpet flooring due to the risk of a post-crash interior fire. It appears to be carpet from the same unnamed supplier that prompted a GM safety defect. (GM Recalls More than 500k Pickup Trucks for Possible Burning Cloth Carpet After Seat Belt Pretensioners Activate)

In affected Ford Super Duty and SuperCrew trucks, a front seat belt pretensioner that deploys during a crash can generate excessive sparks. In some cases, this could ignite the carpet or carpet insulation in the area of the B-pillar, which may spread and increase the risk of injury.

Ford claimed to be aware of one report in the U.S. of a fire related to this fire hazard in the required NHTSA filing. The company is not aware of any accidents or injuries. The action affects 490,574 vehicles in the U.S. and federal territories, 56,112 in Canada, and 852 in Mexico. Affected vehicles were built at Kentucky Truck Plant from Oct. 8, 2015, to Oct. 29, 2019.

As needed, dealers will apply foil tape to the carpet and carpet insulation and modify the sound deadener on the back side of the B-pillar trim panel. The Ford reference number for this recall is 19S52.