⌘K
Federal filingsHome›Recalls› 21V592000
NHTSA campaign 21V592000 · manufacturer recall 21C18

2021–2022 Ford Transit and 1 other Ford model: seat belts recall

An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.

high 42,493 vehicles affected FMVSS 208 69% reported repaired

What was reported

Source: manufacturer filing, 49 CFR Part 573
Problem Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Transit and 2021 Transit Connect vehicles. The front passenger seat belt automatic locking retractor (ALR) may deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection." Risk An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash. Fix Dealers will inspect the front passenger seat belt assembly, and replace the assembly as necessary, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on September 14, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on December 30, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C18.

Reported to NHTSA Jul 30, 2021 by Ford Motor Company, owners notified Dec 30, 2021.

What that means, in plain English

Source: WhichTrim's reading of the filing above — not NHTSA's wording

A seat belt ALR that deactivates early prevents proper child restraint securement, materially reducing occupant protection in a crash.

Written for us by a language model from the manufacturer's filed text, which is quoted in full above. Where the two differ, the filing is the record and this is only our summary of it.

Which vehicles are covered

Source: NHTSA campaign 21V592000
Model yearClassSafety SignalRecalls on file
2021 Ford TransitVanD4
2022 Ford TransitVanF16
2021 Ford Transit ConnectVanC4

Those are the model years inside WhichTrim's range, 2016 onward. The campaign may cover others outside it, and the only thing that settles whether one specific vehicle is included is its VIN.

How much of it has been fixed

Source: manufacturer quarterly report, 49 CFR 573.7
Reported repaired 69%

of the campaign

The final figure: the six quarters of reporting that 49 cfr 573.7 requires have closed.

This is the manufacturer's own cumulative count of vehicles it has inspected and repaired, divided by the vehicles the campaign covers. It files that count with NHTSA every quarter for six consecutive quarters, starting from the quarter in which owners were told a remedy was ready, and then the obligation ends — so a figure on an older campaign is where the count stopped, not where it stands today.

It rarely reaches 100%, and not because the work was not done. The same report asks manufacturers to count vehicles they could not reach at all — exported, stolen, scrapped, or simply never located — and those stay in the denominator. A low number means a lot of these vehicles are still out there unrepaired; it does not tell you which ones.

The federal paperwork

Source: nhtsa.gov

Check one specific vehicle

A recall applies to a build range, so year, make and model cannot settle it. Type the VIN and the WhichTrim recall report checks this campaign’s build window and engine against it.

Campaign 21V592000 · the manufacturer calls it 21C18

Own one, or run a fleet? Recall Watch checks each VIN against every new NHTSA campaign and emails you when one lands, this one's expansions included. Or take a free one-line alert by model year.

Advertisement

A recall covers a build range. Only your VIN settles it.

Check it with the WhichTrim recall report now, or have us check it every night and email you when something new is filed.

Photo: Taiga Miyamoto / Unsplash

Common questions

Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR Part 573

Is 21C18 the same recall as 21V592000?

Yes. 21C18 is the number Ford Motor Company uses for this campaign in its own paperwork and in the letter it sends owners. 21V592000 is the number NHTSA files it under. One recall, two references — dealers and service departments generally quote the manufacturer's.

Does this recall repair cost anything?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to remedy a safety defect or a compliance failure at no charge, for vehicles up to 15 years old measured from the date of first sale. A dealer that asks you to pay for a recall repair is in the wrong.

How do I know whether my vehicle is included?

By VIN, not by model year. The manufacturer files a build range with NHTSA and only vehicles inside it are covered, so two identical-looking cars from the same year can differ. NHTSA's own lookup checks a VIN against the manufacturer's list.

What if the repair is not available yet?

It happens, and often. Manufacturers must notify owners when a defect is found even if the parts or the software are not ready, then notify them a second time once the remedy exists. This campaign was filed without a repair available — Ford Motor Company says so in the text above.

What did the manufacturer say was wrong?

The problem, risk and fix quoted on this page are the manufacturer's own words as filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR Part 573. WhichTrim does not paraphrase them.

Who started this recall?

NHTSA's record credits the manufacturer. A recall can begin with the manufacturer's own testing, with a defect investigation, or with a compliance test against a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.