NHTSA opened Preliminary Evaluation PE26008 to examine an estimated 1,236,155 Ford Explorers from model years 2021 through 2026, according to Torque News. The inquiry follows reports of burn injuries after seat-mounted side airbags deployed. A preliminary evaluation is an investigative step; it does not establish a defect or mean that a recall will follow.
Reports under review
NHTSA had received eight complaints and four early warning reports alleging burn injuries linked to seat-mounted side-airbag deployments, Reuters reported in an article carried by Investing.com. The reported injuries involved drivers, front-seat passengers and some officers in Explorer Police Interceptor vehicles; Reuters said some reports described second- or third-degree burns.
The reports concern airbags intended to deploy in certain crashes to help protect vehicle occupants from serious injury, as FOX 10 Phoenix noted. The information cited here does not establish that the airbags deployed outside crash events.
Broader safety context
Side airbags also have a documented safety role beyond the burn reports in this investigation. A 2007 NHTSA technical report found that torso bags plus head protection reduced fatality risk for drivers and right-front passengers in light trucks and vans (LTVs) in all side impacts by 15 percent. That broad finding does not establish anything about the Explorers under investigation.
A possible explanation remains unconfirmed
A separate, unresolved question in the complaints is the direction of the airbag exhaust port. Three of the eight complaints say it faced toward the occupant, Torque News reported; that is a complainant allegation, not an agency finding. The outlet said NHTSA had not reached a conclusion about vent direction.
Torque News also reported that NHTSA’s tally was 11 incidents and 10 injuries, with no deaths. The outlet did not explain how that incident total relates to the eight complaints and four early warning reports. NHTSA’s evaluation is ongoing, and no decision has been made about whether a recall or repair campaign will result.
