Unfortunately, auto accidents happen. When a motor vehicle accident occurs, we want to trust our vehicle to help keep us safe and help to prevent injuries. Recently, Ford recalled some F-150 Trucks,  the top selling vehicle in the U.S., after the discovery of problems with the seat belts.

The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration began an investigation into the trucks after receiving reports of fires occurring in the vehicles, including three reports in which the fires destroyed the vehicles. Ford stated that it has received 23 reports of smoke and/or fire happening in their trucks, but is not aware of any injuries occurring from the smoke or fire.

The auto manufacturer stated that the fires were caused by the seat belts. Before a crash, the seat belt pretensioners tighten which can lead to excessive sparks being generated. The sparks from the tightening of the pretensioners can ignite gases that are inside a support pillar between the front and rear seats. If the gases are ignited, it can cause the carpets and insulation to catch fire.

The vehicles that are included in the recall are Ford F-150 Regular Cab and SuperCrew Cab with the model years 2015 through 2018. The trucks included in the recall were built between March 12, 2014 and August 23, 2018.

The company will notify owners of the recalled vehicles beginning on September 24, 2018. Owners of the vehicles will be able to take their car to a dealership where they will remove insulation and install heat-resistant tape to repair the trucks and help prevent fires. If you have one of the trucks included in the recall, you should take it to a dealership to have it repaired. By doing so, you can help to keep yourself and your passengers safe in the event of an accident.