Dive Brief:
- Ford Motor Co. has recalled over 56,000 F-150 pickups due to a condition where the seat belt warning chime may fail to activate to remind occupants to buckle up, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- The malfunction that led to the recall only affects 2025 F-150 trucks equipped with Ford’s 3.5 liter, EcoBoost hybrid V6 engine.
- Dealers will update the audio control module software for free, although Ford currently does not have a software remedy available. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed Aug. 25, with a second notice to be sent once the software update is ready.
Dive Insight:
The fault is believed to be related to a low change condition of the 12-volt battery. If the voltage is too low when starting the vehicle, the “start of trip” seat belt reminder chime may not play from the vehicle’s audio head unit, which could lead to decreased seat belt usage that can increase the risk of injury in a crash, per the report.
A Ford employee who noticed the issue alerted the company when the seat belt chime in their hybrid F-150 wasn’t audible upon startup. The employee escalated the concern to the automaker’s Critical Concern Review Group on May 29.
From June through July, Ford’s investigators conducted testing and data review of the audio control module to determine the root cause. The team found that the audio head unit in F-150 pickups equipped with hybrid powertrains can be subjected to a “high-voltage interrupt” during start-up, resulting in a reset condition that stops the playback of the seat belt reminder chime.
Based on this initial probe, the Ford’s investigators confirmed that all other vehicle chimes worked normally for approximately three seconds after the vehicle’s audio head unit was reset.
The automaker’s Critical Concern Review Group also conducted a read-across with its audio control module team, which concluded that the problem only occurred on 2025 F-150 hybrid models and not others.
Ford reviewed this concern and its compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and also met with the NHTSA. The parties determined that the fault posed a safety risk and the automaker’s Field Review Committee approved the voluntary recall on July 18.
The audio control module was sourced from Michigan-based Tier 1 supplier Visteon Corp. and an estimated 100% of the recalled hybrid pickups are believed to have the software defect. The dealer software update will ensure that the audible chimes play back in all starting conditions, according to the report.
Ford is not aware of any warranty claims or Vehicle Owner Questionnaires received by the NHTSA that’s related to the condition. The automaker is also not aware of any accidents or injuries.
Ford’s recall count in 2025 has now reached 94, which is the highest number for any automaker in a single year, according to NHTSA data. Since June 30, Ford issued nine separate recalls potentially extending to over 1.7 million vehicles.
