Key facts
- Campaign: NHTSA 26V368 / Ford 26S38, Part 573 report filed June 9, 2026; media coverage broke June 11, 2026.
- Vehicles: 548,463 Ford Expeditions, model years 2018–2024, built March 14, 2017 – December 3, 2024. Expedition only — Lincoln Navigator is not included.
- Defect: chrome plating on the center console may bubble and peel from the base material, creating a sharp edge that can cut a hand resting on the console.
- Injuries: 1 accident, 65 injuries (hand/finger lacerations), 0 fires, reported globally as of the June 9, 2026 filing; a small number required professional medical attention.
- Defect rate: Ford estimates 12.8% of the population — roughly 70,000 vehicles — actually have the defect; all 548,463 must be inspected.
- Remedy gap: interim (warning-only) letters June 29 – July 2, 2026; remedy letters planned January 29 – February 2, 2027 as a phased recall. No do-not-drive or park-outside advisory.
- Cause: the chrome trim may have been manufactured with process parameters that do not meet Ford specifications; Tier 1 supplier Forvia (Fraser, MI), Tier 2 chrome plater Xinpoint (Troy, MI).
- Overlap: 2018–2022 Expeditions also fall inside the separate seat-belt pretensioner recall 26V344 (419,967 Expeditions and Navigators).
- VIN lookup: 26V368 VINs searchable at NHTSA.gov since June 10, 2026; Ford recall line 1-866-436-7332.
Which Ford Expeditions are recalled for the center console?
Recall 26V368 covers 548,463 Ford Expeditions from model years 2018 through 2024, built between March 14, 2017 and December 3, 2024. The Lincoln Navigator — the Expedition's platform sibling — is not included in this campaign. Critically, the affected vehicles were not produced in VIN order, so you cannot infer whether a specific Expedition is included from its model year alone; Ford says applicability is best confirmed through its toll-free line (1-866-436-7332) or a dealer using the OASIS database.
The defect: the chrome plating on the center console can bubble and then peel away from the base material, leaving a sharp edge where an occupant's hand naturally rests while driving. Per Ford's Part 573 filing, bubbling typically precedes peeling and both are overt and visible — which is why Ford's Critical Concern Review Group, after opening an internal investigation on October 16, 2025 (Ford had spotted the trend in NHTSA Vehicle Owner Questionnaires on September 24, 2025), initially concluded no recall was needed. It re-evaluated after an expanded injury review, and after environmental testing made initially clean consoles bubble and peel. Ford's Field Review Committee approved the recall on June 2, 2026. By that date Ford had logged 34 customer call-center reports, 150 field reports, and 4,634 warranty reports globally, plus 6 NHTSA Vehicle Owner Questionnaires.
Why is there no fix until 2027? The remedy gap explained
There is no repair available for 26V368 until late January 2027 at the earliest. Dealers were notified June 10, 2026, and interim owner letters mail June 29 – July 2, 2026 — but those letters only warn; they offer no fix. Remedy letters are planned for January 29 – February 2, 2027 under what Ford's filing calls a phased recall. Those dates are Ford's planned schedule and could move.
The practical consequence for used-car shoppers: every affected 2018–2024 Expedition sold between now and roughly February 2027 carries 26V368 as an open recall that cannot be closed, no matter how diligent the seller or dealer is. When the remedy arrives, it is inspect-and-replace — dealers will replace the console free of charge only if peeling or bubbling is present, with replacement consoles plated to Ford specification. Ford estimates 12.8% of the population (about 70,000 vehicles) will actually show the defect.
There is no do-not-drive instruction and no park-outside advisory; the risk is laceration, not fire or loss of control.
Does the console recall stack with the seat-belt recall (26V344)?
Yes, at the model-year level: 2018–2022 Expeditions sit inside both the 26V368 console population (2018–2024) and the 26V344 seat-belt pretensioner population (2018–2022 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator, 419,967 vehicles). Whether one specific SUV is in both campaigns can only be confirmed by a per-VIN lookup, because both recalls cover "certain vehicles" and neither population was built in VIN order.
Recall 26V344, received by NHTSA on May 27, 2026, addresses seat-belt pretensioners that can inadvertently lock the belt so it won't retract or extend, caused by heat-degraded propellant emitting corrosive byproducts. Its interim letters mailed June 8, 2026, with remedy letters anticipated in August 2026 — a far shorter remedy gap than the console recall's. One trap for used buyers: 26V344 replaces and expands earlier recalls 24V099 and 25V197, so an Expedition already "fixed" under those campaigns still needs the new repair.
The stacking goes deeper than two campaigns. The 2020 Expedition alone shows 17 NHTSA campaigns in its history, including four separate seat-belt-related campaigns (20V217, 20V574, the 24V099/25V197 lineage, and 26V344), a 2025 engine recall (25V628), and now 26V368.
| Recall | Models | Model years | Units | Defect | Remedy status (as of Jun 12, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26V368 (Ford 26S38) | Ford Expedition only | 2018–2024 | 548,463 (est. 12.8% defective) | Console chrome peels into sharp edge; 1 accident, 65 injuries | No fix yet. Interim letters Jun 29–Jul 2, 2026; remedy letters planned Jan 29–Feb 2, 2027 |
| 26V344 (Ford 26S34) | Ford Expedition + Lincoln Navigator | 2018–2022 | 419,967 | Pretensioner can lock belt (won't retract/extend) | Interim letters mailed Jun 8, 2026; remedy anticipated Aug 2026; supersedes 24V099/25V197 |
| Stacked cohort | Ford Expedition | 2018–2022 | Per-VIN — confirm by lookup | Same SUV can carry both open recalls | Belt fix ~Aug 2026; console fix ~Jan/Feb 2027 |
Is it safe to buy a used 2018–2024 Expedition right now?
There is no do-not-drive or park-outside advisory on either recall, and the console hazard — laceration from a sharp peeled edge — is visible and avoidable once you know to look for it. The real issue for buyers is informational: a 2018–2022 Expedition can carry two open recalls at once, one of which (26V368) cannot be repaired before roughly late January 2027 under Ford's planned schedule.
On a test drive, inspect the chrome trim on the center console for bubbling or peeling — bubbling typically comes first, and both are obvious. For the seat-belt recall, do not accept "it was already fixed" at face value: repairs done under 24V099 or 25V197 do not satisfy 26V344.
An open, currently unfixable recall is also negotiation material. Combine the recall count with the vehicle's listing history — how long it has sat on the market and whether the asking price has been cut — to price a suddenly recall-heavy three-row SUV realistically.
How do I check a specific Expedition's recalls by VIN?
Start with NHTSA's free VIN lookup at NHTSA.gov, where 26V368 VINs became searchable on June 10, 2026, then confirm repair status with Ford (1-866-436-7332) or any Ford dealer via the OASIS database. Because neither recall population was built in VIN order, the VIN — not the model year — is the only way to know whether a specific Expedition is in 26V368, 26V344, or both.
A Zilocar VIN check is a useful companion step for used-car shopping specifically: alongside recall screening, one report pulls the vehicle's accident and damage records (including airbag deployment), odometer/rollback check, NICB theft records, junk and salvage auction records, ownership history, and sales-listing history — past and current listings, asking prices, price drops, and days on market — which is the data you need to turn an open-recall count into a negotiating position.
What can a VIN check tell you here — and what can't it?
A VIN history check can show that recalls exist on a vehicle; it cannot show whether any recall was repaired. Open-versus-closed status lives with Ford dealers (OASIS) and NHTSA's VIN tool once repairs are logged — and for 26V368 there is no remedy to log until late January 2027, so every affected Expedition sold before then carries it as open by definition.
| Question | VIN history check | NHTSA VIN tool / Ford dealer |
|---|---|---|
| Is this Expedition in 26V368, 26V344, or both? | Yes — surfaces recall presence/count per VIN | Yes — NHTSA.gov (26V368 searchable since Jun 10, 2026); Ford 1-866-436-7332 / OASIS |
| Was a recall already repaired? | No | Yes — dealer OASIS; NHTSA tool once repair is logged |
| Accident, damage, airbag-deployment history | Yes | No |
| Odometer rollback, theft, junk/salvage auction records | Yes | No |
| Ownership and sales-listing history (prices, price drops, days on market) | Yes | No |
| NHTSA investigations (PE/EA) | No | NHTSA only |
| Legal title brand | No — shows junk/salvage auction records, not the brand itself | State title records |
Honest workflow: use the VIN history check to count open recalls and read the vehicle's accident, ownership, and listing history; use NHTSA.gov and a Ford dealer to confirm what has and hasn't been repaired.
