The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Escape and Transit vehicles. The affected vehicles may have an improperly crimped diffuser in the side curtain air bags which may result in the diffuser detaching from the inflator in the event of an air bag deployment.
The risk
In the event of a crash, if the diffuser detaches from the inflator during air bag deployment, the curtain air bag may not inflate properly, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side curtain air bag modules, free of charge. An interim letter notifying owners of the safety risk was mailed August 3, 2020. The recall began January 11, 2021. Owners may contact Ford's customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S35.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape | 2020 |
| Ford Transit | 2020 |
Components: AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Escape | 2020 | 1,612 | 23 |
| Ford Transit | 2020 | 84 | 9 |
Other air bags recalls in 2020
45 of the 782 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2020 concerned the air bags; Ford Motor Company filed 737 campaigns in all.
| 20V791000 17 Dec 2020 | Ford Motor Company |
| 20V785000 16 Dec 2020 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| 20V749000 2 Dec 2020 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| 20V747000 1 Dec 2020 | Nissan North America, Inc. |
| 20V736000 25 Nov 2020 | General Motors LLC |
| 20V734000 25 Nov 2020 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing |
| 20V681000 4 Nov 2020 | Volvo Car USA LLC |
| 20V628000 9 Oct 2020 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2020