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 1998 Ford Explorer submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 42 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.
The 25 most recent of 42, in the owner's own words
DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT LATCH FAILED. THE SEAT BELT LATCHED IN THE MORNING BUT WOULDN'T CATCH IN THE AFTERNOON. TRUCK WAS PARKED IN A PARKING LOT WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURED. *TR
FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEAT BELTS DO NOT RETRACT PROPERLY AND MUST BE FED MANUALLY TO RETRACT. SUBSEQUENT DAMAGE TO SEAT BELT WEBBING CAUSING POSSIBLE FAILURE UPON IMPACT. *TR
DT: THE CONTACT PURCHASED A USED VEHICLE ON A WARRANTY. SHE DISCOVERED THE REAR SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLIES WERE BROKEN. ALSO, THE FRONT SEATS DID NOT RECLINE PROPERLY. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE AT THIS TIME. *AK
DT: DRIVER'S SIDE BACK SEAT BELT LATCH BROKE. ON JUNE 1, 2005. CALLER SAID THE OTHER TWO SEAT BELT LATCHES BROKE ABOUT A YEAR AGO AND CALLER HAD THEM FIXED. ALSO, SHE LOW BEAM IWASNOT WORKING . SHE HAD IT CHECKED AT A REPAIR SHOP AND WAS TOLD THEY COULD NOT FIND WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET.*AK
DRIVERS SIDE FRONT SEAT BELT GIVES AROUND THE WAIST CAUSING THE SEAT BELT TO LOSE WITH NO RESTRAINT WHILE DRIVING. *AK
CONSUMER NOTICED TWO REAR SEAT BELTS DIDN'T HOLD THE PASSENGERS IN THE SEATS. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK DEALER SAID THAT THE CONTINUED PRESSURE FROM THE CHILD SEAT CAUSED THE DAMAGE. *LA
CONSUMER WAS COMPLAINING ABOUT SEAT BELT PROBLEM ON DRIVER'S SIDE. WHEN BELT WAS LATCHED INTO THE BUCKLE, IT DIDN'T HOLD. *AK
VEHICLE HIT A TELEPHONE HEAD ON WHILE TRAVELING AT 25 MPH AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *MR THE SEAT BELT DID NOT PREVENT THE CONSUMER'S CONTACT WITH THE SUN VISOR. *SC
SEAT BELT LOCKED AROUND CHILD'S WAIST, CONSUMER HAD TO CUT CHILD OUT . AS A RESULT, SEAT BELT LEFT A BRUISE. *AK
1998 FORD EXPLORER LEFT REAR PASSENGER SAFETY BELT RELEASE DEVICE THAT YOU PUT THE SEAT BELT INTO BROKE. I HAD MY 1 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER IN HER CHILDSEAT CORRECTLY BELTED BEHIND ME IN THE LEFT REAR SEAT. I CAME TO A NORMAL STOP, THE HEARD BELT CLICK AND TURN AROUND NOTICED IT HAD COME OUT OF THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY. I PULLED OVER AND PUT THE CHILDSEAT AND MY DAUGHTER INTO THE RIGHT REAR SEAT. IF I HAD COME TO A HARDER STOP, OR EVEN A CRASH, MY ONE AND ONLY DAUGHTER COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. AS OF TODAY, CAPITAL CITY FORD HAS NOT RECEIVED MY NEW BUCKLE ASSEMBY. THEY CALLED ME IN ONCE SAYINF THE PART WAS IN. AFTER 1 1/2 HOURS IN THE WAITING ROOM, I WAS TOLD THAT THEY ORDERED THE WRONG PART AND THAT THEY NEEDED TO ORDER THE NEW ONE. I WAS THEN TOLD THAT IT WOULD TAKE SOME TIME BECAUSE OF THE HOLIDAYS. I CALLED ON MONDAY, JULY 07, 2003 AND WAS TOLD THAT THE PART WAS NOT IN THAT I WILL BE CALLED WHEN IN IT COMES IN. THIS MEANS THAT NO ONE CAN SAFELY SIT AND RIDE IN MY 1998 FORD EXLPORER IN THE LEFT REAR PASSENGER SEAT. AS YOU CAN TELL I AM PERTURBBED WITH THIS SITUATION AND WOULD LIKE IT RESOLVED ASAP. AND TO MAKE THINGS WORSE, MY TIME AND MONEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE COMPENSATED. QUESTION? ARE 1998 FORD EXPLORER LEFT REAR PASSENGER SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY PARTS DESIGNED TO FAIL AFTER 78000 MILES????*AK
1998 FORD EXPLORER. THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT WON'T RETRACT. IT HAS ALREADY BEEN REPLACED ONCE, WHILE UNDER WARRANTY, AND NOW THE REPLACEMENT IS DOING THE SAME THING. OF COURSE IT IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY AND THE COST WILL BE AROUND $300. ALSO, CD EXCHANGER HAS ALREADY BEEN REPLACED ONCE AND IS BROKEN AGAIN. *NLM
DUE TO EXTREME WIDTH OF YOUTH SEAT (AKA BOOSTER SEAT), THE UNIT IS VERY CLOSE TO THE PASSENGER DOOR. UPON CLOSING THE CAR DOOR, CHILD'S FINGERS WERE CRUSHED BETWEEN THE DOOR AND THE CAR SEAT. FINGERS WERE DEFORMED AT FIRST, BUT RECOVERD TO ORIGINAL FORM WITHIN 10 MINUTES. NO BROKEN BONES. WHEN INSTALLING THE SEAT, THE SEAT BELT LATCH IS LOCATED "BEHIND" THE SEAT - AS OPPOSED TO BEING LOCATED TO THE SIDE OF THE SEAT. THIS CAUSES THE NATURE POSITION OF THE SEAT TO MOVE TOWARD THE DOOR, INCREASING THE RISK OF FINGER CRUSHING BY THE DOOR. ALSO, DUE TO THE EXTREME WIDTH, THE ENTIRE SEATBELT IS USED TO INSTALL THE SEAT (ABOUT AN INCH WILL BE RETRACTED), THUS MAKING A PROPER INSTALLATION NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE IN A FORD EXPLORER. WHEN I CONTACTED THE MANUFACTOR, BRITAX, (BY PHONE, FAX, AND LETTER), I ONLY RECEIVED A LETTER BACK APOLOGIZING FOR THE "PINCHING" OF MY DAUGHTER'S FINGERS. THEY OBVIOUSLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCE OF THIS "DEFECT." NOTHING WAS DONE BY BRITAX TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE.*AK
WHEN MAKING TURNS, ESPECIALLY RIGHT TURNS, VEHICLE SLIDES AND ALMOST TURNS OVER.*AK. CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING ACCELERATION PROBLEMS,AND THERE WAS A HUMMING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE, SIGNALS ARE NOT WORKING, DEALER REPLACED A DEFECTIVE CONNECTOR AND MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH, FIRESTONE TIRES HAVE EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION, WHICH WERE REPLACED IN JULY 2001, THE REAR SEATS MOVE/BOUNCE WHEN DRIVING, THE REAR SEAT BELTS WERE INOPERATIVE, THE DEALER REPLACED THE BUCKLES, THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN, DEALER REPLACED THE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH, THE WINDSHIELD WAS CHIPPED, THE ALARM WOULD NOT CHUT OFF AT TIMES, DEALER REPLACED A BAD LOOSE WIRE.*JB
REAR SEAR BELT BEHIND DRIVER'S SEAT DOES NOT RELEASE FROM RETRACKING MECHANISM. *AK
CONSUMER STATED THE REAR SEAT BELT BEHIND DRIVERS SEAT BECOMES JAMMED AND WILL NOT RELEASE FROM RETRACTING MECHANISM, CAUSING THE SEAT BELT TO BECOME INOPERABLE.*AA *YH
MY 20-MONTH-OLD DAUGHER CAN UNLATCH THE LOCK ON HER ROUNDABOUT CONVERTIBLE CAR SEAT (MODEL 161). SHE HAS DONE THIS SEVERAL TIMES WHILE RIDING IN THE CAR. TODAY, SHE UNLATCHED THE LOCK WHILE SITTING IN THE PARKED CAR. SHE TRIED TO GET OUT OF THE CARSEAT, BUT HER NECK GOT HUNG UP ON THE TOP LATCH. I IMMEDIATELY UNLATCHED THIS LATCH TO FREE HER FROM THE CAR SEAT. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS IF I HAD NOT ACTED IMMEDIATELY.
ALL OF SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLIES FAILED TO LOCK AND HOLD RESTRAINTS IN PLACE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS.*AK
SEATBELT RETRACTOR ALLOWED EXCESSIVE SLACK TO BE RELEASED DURING VEHICLE ROLLOVER. OCCUPANT WAS PARTIALLY EJECTED FROM VEHICLE, RESULTING IN LOSS OF RIGHT LEG. *AK
LEFT REAR SEAT BELT WON'T STAY HOOKED IN IT'S BUCKLE IN THE SEAT. CAN'T PLACE ANYONE IN THAT SEAT FOR FEAR OF ACCIDENT.*AK
WHILE DRIVING UNDER WINTER CONDITIONS, TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 TO 70 MPH, VEHICLE BEGAN TO LOSE CONTROL. RIGHT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE WENT INTO A DITCH, AND VEHICLE ROLLED 1 1/2 TIMES. DRIVER'S SEAT BELT FAILED TO LOCK UP AND PREVENTING INJURY TO DRIVER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS.*AK AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY DURING ACCIDENT. NLM
WHEN CONSUMER GETS OUT OF DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER'S SEATS AND RELEASES SEATBELT, SEATBELT WILL NOT RETRACT BACK INTO SYSTEM, IT WILL JUST HANG OUT. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
I OWN ONE OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED VEHICLE. I SAW IN THE NEWS RECENTLY A VEHICLE LIKE MINE INVOLVED IN A MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT. ONE OF THE OCCUPANS (A FEMALE JUST MARRIED) GOT EJECTED FORM THE VEHICLE AND DIED WHILE WERING HER 3 POINT SEATBELT. OBVIOUSLY THE RESTRAINT EQUIPMENT FAILED. I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST ANY INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC ON THIS MATTER. THANKS IN ADVANCED FOR YOUR PROMPT RESPOND, RUIZ.
WHEN INSTALLING THE INFANT SEAT, HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE SEAT BEING STATIONARY. IT SEEMS THAT THE SEAT BELT ANCHORS, AR WIDER THEN THE CARSEAT, THEREFORE, A LOT OF SLIDING FROM RIGHT TO LEFT TAKES PLACE, UNLESS I USE BLANKETS TO WEDGE BETWEEN THE CARSEAT AND SEATBELT. I ALSO HAVE LEATHER SEATS. IF I PULL THE SEAT BELT TIGHTER, THEN THE BABY IS LEANING TOO FAR FORWARD TOWARDS BACK OF SEAT AND BALL INDICATOR OF CARSEAT IS NOT IN ITS CORRECT POSTION
TOOK SEAT BELT TO BE REPAIRED 3 OR 4 TIMES AND ENDED UP BEING ORDERED AND WRECKED BEFORE GETTING IT REPLACED. TIRE ON RIGHT REAR SHREDDED AND FRONT RIGHT AND LEFT REAR BLEWOUT. IT WAS A ROLLOVER ACCIDENT FRONT TO REAR AND SIDE ROLLOVER AND AIRBAGS DIDN'T COME OUT. MY 5 1/2 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS THROWN AND KILLED IN THE WRECK.( DOT NUMBER: )
FRONT SHOULDER BELT TIGHTENED UP SO MUCH THAT IT PINNED CONSUMER WHEN DRIVING ON ROUGH SURFACES. CONSUMER LIVED WERE THERE WERE MAJORITY OF ROUGH ROADS. DEALER SAID THERE WERE NO PROBLEM WITH SEAT BELT, IT WAS DOING WHAT IT WAS SUPPOSE TO DO. *AK
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
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