Owner-reported complaints naming the seat belt system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Seat belts reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
13
Latest Oct 8, 2015
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
3%
of 375 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
8
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
13
What this page shows
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2001 Ford Explorer submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 13 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.
Owner reports naming seat belt
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
Body & structureInterior & seatsSeat belts
Filed Oct 8, 2015
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING, THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT WOULD SUDDENLY UNLOCK. IN ADDITION, THE DRIVER SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SEATS WOULD MOVE FORWARD WHEN MAKING A SUDDEN STOP AND THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR AND HATCH DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 166,694.
NHTSA ID
10780714
Incident
Oct 2, 2014
Mileage
166,694 mi
Seat belts
Filed Feb 3, 2010
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD EXPLORER. SHE STATED THAT THE DRIVER SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILED. SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO TAKE THE SEAT BELT OFF.THE CONTACT STATED SHE WILL TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER OR A GARAGE FOR REPAIR. THE CONTACT STATED SHE WILL CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER .THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 172,236.
NHTSA ID
10304135
Incident
Jan 15, 2010
Mileage
172,236 mi
Seat belts
Filed Jan 14, 2005
MY DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT CLOSES IN THE CAR DOOR ON A REGULAR BASIS. I HAVE BROUGHT THIS TO THE DEALERSHIP ATTENTION BUT THE RESPONSE WAS THAT IT RETRACTED OK WHEN THEY LOOKED AT IT. MY CONCERN IS THAT OVER TIME THIS MAY CAUSE WEAR ON THE BELT THAT WOULD PREVENT IT FROM WORKING PROPERLY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. *JB
NHTSA ID
10106336
Incident
Jun 15, 2004
Seat belts
Filed Oct 7, 2004
Crash reported
WHILE INVOLVED IN A COLLISION REAR MIDDLE SEAT BELT LATCH PLATE SEPARATED. AS A RESULT THE OCCUPANT WAS THROWN OUT OF THE WINDOW. NO MAJOR INJURIES REPORTED. *AK
NHTSA ID
10095424
Incident
Oct 2, 2004
Mileage
38,000 mi
Seat belts
Filed Oct 7, 2003
Crash reported2 injuries reported
FRONT SEAT PASSENGER'S SEAT BELT CAME UNBUCKLED DURING A ROLLOVER ACCIDENT. FRONT SEAT PASSENGER ENDED UP IN THE BACK SEAT. *LA
NHTSA ID
10041382
Incident
Sep 7, 2003
Mileage
21,386 mi
Seat belts
Filed Aug 30, 2002
Crash reported2 injuries reported
THE SEAT IS DESIGNED WIT A HEAD RESTRAINT THAT IS TOO LOW AND CAUSED A PERSONS HEAD TO SNAP BACK RESULTING IN INJURY. WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OPHER PEOPLE.*AK
NHTSA ID
766467
Incident
Dec 10, 2001
Body & structureSeat belts
Filed Mar 12, 2002
Crash reported1 death reported
CONSUMER STATED DURING A ROLLOVER THE SEAT BELTS DID NOT WORK PROPERLY, AND PASSENGER WAS EJECTED FROM VEHICLE, VEHICLE WAS HIT AND ROLLED OVER, CONSUMERS WIFE WAS EJECTED RESULTING IN A FATALITY. *JG *AK ODI SPOKE TO HUSBAND AND HE ASSUMED HIS WIFE WAS WEARING THE SEATBELT. WIFE WAS DRIVING AND DURING EVENT WAS THROWN OUT THE PASSENGER'S SIDE WINDOW. THERE WAS NO WITNESS TO THE WIFE WEARING THE BELT.CW
NHTSA ID
8005377
Incident
Dec 10, 2001
Seat belts
Filed Mar 7, 2002
Crash reported
WHILE SITTING AT AN INTERSECTION ANOTHER VEHICLE REARENDED CONSUMER'S VEHICLE, AND DRIVER'S SIDE SEATBELT ASSEMBLY FELL APART FROM THE WALL INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE.*AK THE SEAT BELT FELL APART ON COLLISION BECAUSE IT WAS IMPROPERLY INSTALLED AT FACTORY. *YH
I AM NOT THE OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE, NOR THE DRIVER. MY BROTHER-IN-LAW WAS A PASSENGER IN THE FORD EXPLORER AND WAS KILLED AT THE SCENE. THERE IS A QUESTION OF WHETHER HE WAS WEARING A SEAT BELT AND IF IT FAILED DURING THE ROLLOVER OF THE VEHICLE. THERE IS ALSO A QUESTION OF FIRESTONE TIRE FAILURE. BOTH OF THE REAR TIRES WERE MISSING THE VALVE STEMS. WE DO NOT KNOW IF THIS OCCURRED DURING THE ACCIDENT OR IF THEY BLEW OUT PREVIOUSLY AND THAT IS WHAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT. THE DRIVER WAS SPEEDING, PERFORMED AN UNSAFE LANE CHANGE, THEN OVERCORRECTED, LOST CONTROL, CROSSED THE MEDIAN STRIP INTO THE OPPOSITE ROADWAY, ROLLED OVER AND HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE WHERE ANOTHER PERSON WAS KILLED AS A RESULT OF THIS COLLISION. THE DRIVER WAS FOUND "NOT GUILTY" IN HIS MANSLAUGHTER TRIAL. SO IT SEEMS THIS ACCIDENT WAS ATTRIBUTED MORE TO VEHICLE FAILURE, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS DRIVER ERROR ALSO.*AK
NHTSA ID
754358
Incident
Nov 21, 2000
Seat beltsSuspension
Filed May 29, 2001
Crash reported2 injuries reported
A ROLLOVER CRASH BY TRAVELING AT 35 MPH ON A GRAVEL ROAD. DEALER / MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED, WAITING ON MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSE. *AK SEAT BELT FAILED. *YH
NHTSA ID
889300
Incident
May 24, 2001
Seat belts
Filed Apr 6, 2001
Crash reported1 injury reported
THE SEATS DO NOT HAVE A SEPERATE HEAD REST THAT IS ADJUSTABLE ACCORDING TO SIZE. ACCORDINGLY, A PERSON OF AVERAGE HEIGHT SITTING IN EITHER THE DRIVER OR PASSENGER SEAT IS TO FAR FROM THE TOP OF THE SEAT TO GET ADEQUATE PROTECTION IN AN ACCIDENT. GIVEN TODAY'S SAFETY STANDARDS, I EXPECT MORE FROM A 2001 LIMITED EDITION AUTOMOBILE. MY HUSBAND WAS INVOLVED IN A CAR ACCIDENT AND THE MAJORITY OF HIS INJURIES COULD HAVE BEEN MITIGATED IF THESE SEATS WERE DESIGNED PROPERLY.*AK
NHTSA ID
743612
Incident
Apr 2, 2001
Interior & seatsSeat belts
Filed Mar 26, 2001
WHEN COMING TO A STOP PASSENGER'S SEAT SLIDES FORWARD, CAUSE UNKNOWN, ALSO REAR PASSENGER SEAT BELT DOES NOT RELEASE FROM RETRACTING MECHANISM. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
NHTSA ID
884186
Seat belts
Filed Mar 20, 2001
REAR SEAT BELTS ON BOTTOM; WHEN SITTING DOWN BOTTOM PORTION COMES UP FORWARD, QUARTER AWAY. THIS VEHICLE HAS RWO DOORS. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF IT.*AK
NHTSA ID
883556
Incident
Mar 1, 2001
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.
Other components reported on this vehicle
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own