Owner-reported complaints naming the seat belt system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1996 Ford Contour submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 17 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
THE CONNECTING ARMS ON THE TRAY SHIELD ARE CRACKED AND CAN BE EASILY PULLED OUT OF THE SIDE OF THE SEAT. THE SEAT IS ONLY A YEAR OLD, AND THE CONSUMER FEELS THAT THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING. THE MANUFACTURER WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK
THE REAR SAFETY BELTS DID NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY, THE LEFT REAR BELT BUCKLE DID NOT LOCK INTO THE LATCH PLATE WHEN CONNECTED AND THE RIGHT REAR BELT ONLY PULLED FAR ENOUGH FROM HOUSING TO COVER A SMALL CHILD. *JB
BOTH REAR SEAT BELTS FAILED TO EXTEND OUTWARD WITH ONE OF THE SEAT BELT RETRACTORS TRAPPING A CHILD AT ONE POINT. SECOND FAILURE WAS THAT SEAT BELT BUCKLES/LATCHES HAVE FALLEN APART. REAR SEAT BELTS WERE NOT USABLE AT ALL EXCEPT MIDDLE LAP BELT. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS.*AK
SEAT BELTS REAR HAVE COMPLETELY FALLEN A PART. THERE WERE NO ATTACHMENT T0 CLICK ON. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM. *AK
PASSENGER'S SEAT BELT HAS BECOME JAMMED WITHIN RETRACTING MECHANISM, AND WOULD NOT RELEASE, CAUSING SEAT BELT TO BECOME INOPERABLE. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
CONSUMER WAS AT THE TRAFFIC LIGHT GOING THROUGH THE INTERSECTION. THE TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF HIM HAD SLOWED DOWN, BUT THE CAR BEHIND DIDN'T COMPLY. CAR HIT CONSUMER'S VEHICLE FROM BEHIND, AND SMASHED IT IN. SEA TBELT FAILED TO RESTRAIN, AND DRIVER SUSTAINED BACK AND NECK INJURIES. *AK
VEHICLE WAS HIT FROM THE REAR, AND DRIVER'S SIDE SEATBELT CAME LOOSE FROM THE PANEL, FORCING THE DRIVER INTO THE STEERING WHEEL. DEALER HAS NOT SEEN VEHICLE. *AK
WHEN DRIVING AT 70 MPH THE VEHICLE IS SHIFTING VERY HARD. IT DOWNSHIFTS FROM OVERDRIVE TO SECOND GEAR, AND ALL THE COMPONENTS ON THE DASHBOARD START GOING OUT. VEHICLE HAS BEEN INTO REPAIR SHOP SIX TIMES AND THE DEALER CAN'T DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. ALSO, WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE CHILD IN THE CHILD SEAT GOES FORWARD, AND THE HARNESS STRAP LEFT A RED SPOT ON THE CHILD. *AK
THE TRANSMISSION IS MAKING A GRINDING AND SCRAPING TYPE NOISE. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO FOR ANY OF THE COST OF THE TRANSIMISSION.
WE HAVE A INFANT/TODDLER CAR SEAT THAT CANNOT BE PUT IN THE REAR FACING POSITION BECAUSE THE BACK SEATS ARE TOO ANGELED BACK.WE ALSO CAN'T HAVE SEAT IN MIDDLE BECAUSE THEN MY 9 YR OLD HAS TO SIT AGAINST THE DOOR.I AM NOW FORCED TO FACE MY BABY FORWARD IN HIS CARSEAT.HELP! THE CUP HOLDES NEXT TO GEARSHIFT LEAK INTO THE SHIFT COLUM AND CAUSE THE GEARSHIFT TO STICK. BROOKDALE FORD SAID IT WOULD COST ME $100 TO CLEAN IT FOR ME.THEY OFFERED NO HELP, THE LEAST THAT SHOULD BE DONE IS TO FIX IT SO NOTHING MORE CAN LEAK THROUGH THE HOLDERS.
THE BELT IS FAR TOO LONG TO BE USED WITH A CAR SEAT - WE HAD TO TIE IT IN A KNOT IN ORDER TO USE OUR CHILD SEAT!
MY SON WAS INVOLVED IN A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT WHERE THE CAR ROLLED OVER AND HIT NUMEROUS TREES. BOTH AIR BAGS DID NOT OPEN AND THE SEAT BELT BROKE AWAY... MIRACOUSLY MY SON ENDED UP IN THE BACK SEAT WITH ONLY A MODEST BUMP ON HIS HEAD. .... WITNESSESS AS WELL AS THE TOWING/WRECKING YARD COULD NOT BELIEVE THERE WERE NO SERIOUS INJURIES, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE CONDITION OF THE VEHICLE... WHEN PURCHASING THE AUTO I RECALL THAT SAFETY REPORTS WERE GENERALLY FAVORABLE... GIVEN THE IMPACT OF THIS ACCIDENT IT IS INCREDIBLE THAT THE AIRBAGS DID NOT OPEN AND THAT THE SEAT BELT BROKE AWAY...
WHEN USING REAR SEAT BELTS, BELTS PULL HALF WAY OUT, WILL NOT RETRACT BACK. BELTS ARE TWISTED OR WRAPPED AROUND MECHANISM INSIDE DOOR PANEL. TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP. *AK
SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILED.
AIR BAG DID NOT INFLATE IN ACCIDENT.
VEHICLE WAS HIT ON THE PASSENGER'S FRONT SIDE AND THE SHOULDER BELT DID NOT RESTRAIN THE DRIVER. ALSO, THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG KNOCKED DRIVER OUT OF SEAT AND HEAD HIT THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW. *AK
FRONT LAP SEAT BELT FAILED TO SECURE CHILD. *SD
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .