2019 Lincoln Navigator: seat belt won't latch or retract

Filed Nov 2, 2026 · Seat belts · 163,689 miles · NC · 1 injury

The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that while driving 45-50 MPH, there was an abnormally loud popping sound, and the contact felt an impact to the chest, and became aware of an abnormal odor. The seat belt warning light had illuminated after the failure. The contact stated that the front driver’s side seat belt retracted and locked. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, where bystanders assisted in freeing the contact from the locked seat belt by sliding the front driver's seat rearward while unlatching the seat belt buckle. The contact sustained bruises to the chest. The contact resumed driving after 20 minutes. The dealer was contacted by phone and informed the contact that the failure was associated with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 26V344000 (Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by phone and confirmed that the part was not yet available for the recall repair. The failure mileage was 163,689.

Filed Sep 22, 2026 · Seat belts · GA

My vehicle was moving slowly in a pickup line for my child. Randomly, the seat belt retractor went off and pulled me back into the seat. Initially, I thought it was a gunshot. Smoke was all in the car. My neck/shoulder has some bruising and cuts from the seat belt. There was a seatbelt light on the dash. It has been there for some time, but the recall's hasn't been issued and it's not realistic to not have a car until FoMoCo issues the fix.

Filed Aug 29, 2026 · Airbags, Seat belts · TX · 1 injury

COMPONENT FAILURE: The driver-side front seat belt retractor & pyrotechnic pretensioner assembly spontaneously & violently deployed while the vehicle was in motion. Immediately following the explosion, the vehicle's dashboard SRS/Airbag warning light illuminated & remains locked on. The component is currently intact & remains inside the vehicle; it is fully available for physical inspection upon request. SAFETY RISK: The component fired with a gunshot-like sound inside the enclosed cabin, forcefully locking & pinning the [XXX] driver against the seat. This sudden explosion & physical restraint severely startled the young driver, nearly causing a loss of vehicle control. Had this occurred seconds later as we exited the subdivision & turned onto CR 346 heading toward Whitehouse—which is a narrow, fast-moving two-lane county road with no shoulder—a severe head-on collision with oncoming traffic or a road-departure rollover would have been unavoidable. The incident caused ongoing shoulder/chest soreness to the [XXX] driver & extreme distress to an autistic passenger in the vehicle. Furthermore, the driver's safety belt is now completely flaccid & inoperable, leaving the driver with zero crash protection. DEALER CONFIRMATION: Not yet confirmed by tech. Dealer did not provide/offer an emergency drop-off or inspection stating a 4-day delay (Wednesday) would be likely- leaving 1-car family stranded. 3rd-PARTY INSPECTION: None. Vehicle remains parked at residence awaiting safe transport. WARNINGS/SYMPTOMS: Zero symptoms, alerts, or warnings prior to failure. SRS light triggered immediately at moment of deployment due to system fault. ADDITIONAL DATA: This incident is a direct failure under the federal safety agency Campaign Number 26V344 (Lincoln Service Action Code 26S34) regarding the spontaneous, unprovoked deployment of front seat belt retractor pretensioners. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Aug 21, 2026 · Seat belts · CA · 1 injury

While a passenger was riding in the company-owned Lincoln Navigator, the front passenger seat belt suddenly tightened with significant force without a collision or other apparent triggering event. The seat belt remained extremely tight against the passenger and caused visible bruising. We later became aware that Ford has issued safety recalls involving inadvertent deployment of the seat belt retractor pretensioners on certain Lincoln Navigator vehicles. We are reporting this incident as a suspected seat belt pretensioner/retractor malfunction and are requesting that it be documented and investigated.

Filed Aug 5, 2026 · Seat belts · 117,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver’s side seat belt retractor pretensioner deployed. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V197000 (Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

Filed Jul 7, 2026 · Seat belts · TX · 1 injury

I was driving my car about 30 miles an hour when my driver’s side seat belt suddenly locked down on me painfully. Also when that happened it sounded like a gunshot went off and it smelled like smoke. I did not hit anything or apply my brakes suddenly to cause the seat belt to engage.

Filed Jun 2, 2026 · Seat belts · 93,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2019 Licoln Navigator. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the front driver and passengers seat belts retactators seized. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with failed front drivers and passenger seat belts retractor. The contact was informed that the front driver's and passenger's seat belt retractors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed of an open recall assoicated with the contact's VIN, the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 26V344000 (Seat Belts) however the parts were unavailable. The contact was advised to contact the federal safety agency Hotline and report the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately

Filed Aug 21, 2025 · Seat belts · CA · 1 injury

I was driving the car at approximately 10 miles/hr (slowly accelerating after stopping at a traffic light), when I heard a loud bang / explosion. This was accompanied by a feeling like I had been struck in the chest. However, there was no collision to the car. I then realized that my seatbelt was tightly cinched and locked around my body, and it had caused the blow to my chest. I was able to pull off the road and stop the car, and I worked my way out of the seatbelt with difficulty by unclasping it. There was a smell of gunpowder in the air, but I confirmed that no collision or accident to my car had occurred. The skin on my chest and left neck were badly bruised by the seatbelt pretensioning. It is clear that the seatbelt pretensioning system inappropriately triggered while I was driving this vehicle. There is a known recall for this car's seat belt pretensioning system, and prior to this incident the restraint system error light was turning on and off since September 2024. I paid for a "repair" of this error, though it continued to occur. When I contacted the Lincoln dealership again, they stated that the part for this recall is not yet available. After this incident occurred, I had my vehicle towed to the Lincoln dealership and contacted Lincoln Customer Service. They again stated that they could not repair the seatbelt as the part is still not available. When this incident occurred, I was driving my 2 year-old daughter to preschool. I feel lucky that the seatbelt malfunction did not cause a car crash--the inappropriate triggering was shocking, caused bodily harm, and I was barely able to keep control of the car to pull aside safely.

Filed Jul 3, 2025 · Seat belts · OK

My husband (age [XXX] ) and I (age [XXX] ) were traveling on, he was driving, [XXX] in Atoka, OK on the evening of [XXX], when all of a sudden we heard a loud pop. It sounded like a gun shot. The sound was followed by a smoke smell. He held his composure and was able to pull over, and we learned that it was the seatbelt that was affected, and he had cinch marks on his shirt left by the seatbelt. We then realized the driver’s side seatbelt was “floppy” and wouldn’t retract back. I then called our local Ford dealership in Durant, OK to get it in asap and was informed to bring it in Monday, June 23, 2025. We drove the car home to Durant, OK which is approximately 30 minutes away on a very dangerous stretch of highway after the call. On Monday, I carefully drove it to the dealership to be repaired. I was informed later that day that they were able to repair one recall, the back up camera, but the seatbelt couldn’t be repaired due to a back order on the part (told by Kyle the service tech). I emailed Red River Ford service manager immediately after that and was sent an email back that had his phone number. I then called him, Rick Riley, and he told me that he’s showing that the part is actually not even available to get and couldn’t give me an estimated time. I asked if it was possible to get a loaner, this is my personal car and the only car that can hold my family of 6. We were leaving for vacation June 25 and had no way to get to the airport. I called Lincoln concierge to see if they could do anything to get me a loaner, and the representative was no help. She told me she was going to contact Red River Ford but never did; I had sent a message asking Rick Riley if he had been contacted, and he said no. We ended up paying for a driver to safely get us to DFW airport which cost $360. I’ve called Lincoln 2 more times now and keep getting told the part is on back order but no advice on getting a loaner or them buying back the car. I don’t know what else to do. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

Filed Jul 3, 2025 · Seat belts · 110,000 miles · LA

The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln Navigator. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V099000 (SEAT BELTS); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle and allowing the engine to warm up, the contact attempted to buckle the seat belt and heard a loud pop and the seat belt started to retract with the contacts left arm in the seat belt harness. The contact stated that the Air Bags/SRS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the seat belt retractor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

Filed Apr 17, 2025 · Seat belts · 70,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that the front driver's side seat belt had locked and had failed to extend as needed. The contact stated that the seat belt was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the seat belt assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact later received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V099000 (Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

Filed Aug 14, 2024 · Seat belts · AZ

The passenger side second row seatbelt retractor pretensioners deploy and my kids can’t loosen the seatbelt to put it on. We have to then put out kids in the third row or mess with it for 10 minutes to get it to release.