Seat belts functioning correctly are essential to safety.
Steven Ewing/Roadshow

Certain 2021 Ford F-150 pickups should remained parked due to a potential seat belt assembly problem, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday. Ford filed a new recall that covers 16,430 F-150 trucks regarding improper seat belt webbing — the issue could hamper the belt’s restraint mechanisms in the event of a crash.

While Ford prepares to send recall notices to owners affected starting Sept. 27, they’ll also receive a mailed notice on how to perform a self-assessment test for the seat belts. After going through the steps, if a passenger-side seat belt fails, owners should not use the passenger seat. If the driver-side seat belt fails, NHTSA said owners should park their trucks to avoid the heightened risk of injury. Ford did not immediately return a request for comment on the new recall.

For the recall, a dealership technician will check to make sure the belts are routed properly. If they are not, owners will receive new assemblies and associated parts at no cost.

The recall population covers F-150 Super Cab body styles — no Regular Cab models are involved. The two trucks use different seat belt assemblies with no risk of misrouted webbing for F-150s sans four doors.