Ford is recalling 2,276 F-150 pickups from the 2025 to 2027 model years because the factory may not have bolted their front seats down properly. The F-150 seat recall covers trucks built between August 25, 2025 and September 23, 2026, according to an account of Ford’s filing by autoevolution. Dealers will check the bolts and fix them for free.
A loose seat is more than a rattle. In NHTSA’s words, an improperly secured seat may not adequately restrain the person sitting in it. That increases the risk of injury in a crash.
Here is what the filing says, how the line missed the bolts, and when owners will hear from Ford.
What the F-150 seat recall covers
NHTSA lists the campaign as 26V655, and Ford’s own recall number is 26S74. The agency’s acknowledgment letter, dated October 15, 2026, says Ford filed its report on October 6, 2026. It counts 2,276 trucks and lists the component simply as “seats.”
The defect statement is one line long. It says the front seats “may have been improperly secured to the vehicle.” The fix is just as plain. Dealers will inspect the front seat bolts, then tighten or replace them as needed, at no charge.
The recall also appears in WBIW’s roundup of recent NHTSA recalls. There it carries the title “Front Row Seats Improperly Secured.”
How the bolts got missed on the line
The more interesting part is how it happened. According to autoevolution’s reading of Ford’s chronology, the main operator at the seat workstation sometimes could not secure a seat within the station’s cycle time. When that happened, the line stopped. Next, an error-proofing hold sent the truck to a repair team leader.
That team leader’s job was to finish the work and log the seat as correct. However, the report says a truck could be logged as complete even when a bolt was still missing. In short, the safety check existed, but the paperwork could close before the work did.
Ford’s own tools helped confirm it. The company pulled bolt-installation data from the electric tool used at that station. It is also checking every truck that the same operator flagged for seat-bolt repairs, through August 2026.
A dealer technician spotted it first
The case started in a service bay. In June 2026, a dealer technician found a 2026 F-150 with a missing driver’s seat bolt. On the same truck, a front passenger seat bolt was not fully seated. Then, 16 days after that dealer report, Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group took up the file.
By the time Ford filed, it had 16 field reports and 56 warranty reports tied, or possibly tied, to the problem. Together, those covered 62 unique VINs. In addition, autoevolution noted a small detail: the bolt comes with four color-matched covers: Black, Java, Smoked Truffle and Navy Pier.
Warning signs for owners
The symptoms are easy to notice. First, owners may hear an abnormal rattle from a front seat. In the worst case, the seat itself moves more than it should. Either sign is a reason to book the free inspection rather than wait for the letter.
Owners can reach Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. They can also call the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236. Meanwhile, the affected VINs became searchable on NHTSA’s site on October 9, 2026, according to the agency’s letter.
When Ford’s letters go out
NHTSA expects Ford to mail owner letters on October 26, 2026. Autoevolution gives a slightly wider window, from October 26 to October 30. At the dealer, technicians will check that the bolts are present and torqued to spec, then replace or retorque them where needed.
The model years matter, too. Because the build dates run into late September 2026, the F-150 seat recall reaches 2027 trucks. For that year, autoevolution reports, Ford dropped the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 for a detuned 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 rated at 325 hp and 400 lb-ft.
The paperwork now has a date on it. Ford’s first owner letters for recall 26S74 are due on October 26, 2026, covering 2,276 trucks built between August 25, 2025 and September 23, 2026. Owners do not have to wait for that envelope, because the NHTSA VIN lookup for this campaign has been live since October 9, 2026.
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