2016 Ford Explorer Seat belts Problems

I have an airbag light on as well as the 2nd row inflatable seatbelt has stopped working. I took it into the dealership and they said it was generating codes B141B and B141C. Ford issued a Customer satisfaction program 21B11 specifically to fix this problem in 2022 but it expired less than a year later. Now my air bag and my seatbelt don't work. Ford knows about the safety defect and their dealers are charging people to fix it ($2400 in this case) rather than stand behind the safety of their product and do the right thing. This is clearly a safety issue that Ford should be addressing yet they are trying to slide by and get their customers to pay for it. The car only has 49,000 miles on it.

NHTSA ID

11733430

Incident

Apr 14, 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the exterior A-pillar trim had detached from the front windshield and the metal studs were showing. The contact stated that the seat belt light warning light was illuminated. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11668798

Incident

Jun 1, 2024

Mileage

50,000 mi

The problem remedied by TSB 21B11-s2 did not occur in my vehicle while the TSB was in effect. It has now surfaced

NHTSA ID

11634063

Incident

Dec 19, 2024

Mileage

112,891 mi

SECOND ROW PASSENGER SEATBELT RECIEVER IS BROKEN AND PART HAS NOT BEEN AVAILABLE FOR OVER 2 YEARS. PART # DB5ZZ786004EB. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND FORD HAS NO IDEA WHEN THEY WILL RESUME MAKING THIS PART. ALSO, PARTS FOR PILLLAR RECALL ARE NOT AVAILABLE. PILLAR FALLS APART, CAUSING DAMAGE TO MOULDING AND NOW WATER HAS ENTERED AND DAMAGED THE VEHICLE. FORD HAS NO ACCOUNTABILITY? PEOPLE ARE FIXING THIS ISSUE THEMSELVES ( LIKE WE DID WITH OTHER SIDE), AND NOW AFTER MARKET PARTS HAVE BECOME SCARCE TOO.

NHTSA ID

11614441

Incident

May 12, 2021

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the sunroof failed to close. The seat belt warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the sunroof motor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer informed the contact that the parts were on backorder. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.

NHTSA ID

11589314

Incident

May 13, 2024

Mileage

136,000 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was started, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the seat belt retractor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 106,000.

NHTSA ID

11589096

Incident

May 6, 2024

Mileage

106,000 mi

This is the problem I'm experiencing, my steering wheel would tighten up when I'm backing up from being part. Then when it comes to me, pulling out and about to drive and I have to make a turn the stand well will tighten up again and make it difficult for me to drive or or to turn go other way. When I took my vehicle in to suburban Ford service Ferndale. I'm looking at the questions for additional details. I wasn't in no accident because of my. There's no fire, no injuries, but it can happen and I don't have to have the mileage at how fast I was going because the stand will would get tight when i'm about this pull off.

NHTSA ID

11585707

Incident

Mar 23, 2024

Airbags notification is on

NHTSA ID

11584087

Incident

Apr 12, 2024

Middle row, passenger side seat belt buckle is broken & will not latch. This is where my 9yr old sits & there is no reason or cause for this to break. My vehicle has the inflatable airbag seatbelts on this row.

NHTSA ID

11552161

Incident

Oct 27, 2023

Car has inflatable seatbelt in the second row bucket seats. I am unable to find any car seats that are safe to use in this vehicle once you move from tether position Have visited local dealership and called Ford for assistance. None of which are able to assist with this which puts children in great harm as no car seat can be safely used

NHTSA ID

11548541

Incident

Sep 28, 2023

#1-My rear passenger seatbelt is being cut by some thing down inside of the back seat where the belt is retrieved. This belt is getting more cuts as it is being used since that is where my Grandson now sits. It was not used prior to me having to pickup my Grandson. This is very concerning !!! #2 My drivers side front windshield weather stripping keep popping out and is now blown off, very scary. #3 Just last week I started to hear some popping noise in the front suspension, but could not tell what it was coming from. Just yesterday while making a right hand turn the front suspension and the steering locked up. I was able to turn it back straight after a few seconds as the steering wheel had locked to the right. Praise God there were 3 lanes and I was able to make the correction with out incident.

NHTSA ID

11539866

Incident

Aug 20, 2023

The seat belt buckle for the second row passenger-side broke, making it impossible for the seat belt buckle to lock. Ford said the part was back ordered. When the part arrived and the car was being fixed, we received a call from the service manager advising the second row driver-side buckle broke as well. This seems to be a recurring issue.

NHTSA ID

11531690

Incident

Jul 11, 2023

The 2nd row seatbelts in my 2016 Ford Explorer contain mini-airbags. There is a design flaw that causes the connection to the seatbelts to fail, disabling all airbags in the vehicle. Ford issued a CSP in January of 2021 and was supposed to notify all owners of all affected vehicles. I was never notified. In April 2022 my vehicle was left with a Ford dealership for 1 month due to constant electrical problems- the dashboard would go dark, the car would lose power, the maps would shut down, etc. That dealership repositioned the faulty wires. In December of 2022 the airbag light came on. I had to take it to another dealership and learned because of a failed connection to the 2nd row seatbelt, my car had no operational airbags. I paid approximately $1200.00 for the repair. Ford is refusing to reimburse me for the costs I incurred due to their design flaw. The safety of everyone who has ridden in that car was put at risk- if there was a collision, there would be no protection. The airbag light was not on when the wires were first repositioned. My son drove the car from CT to Florida and was unaware of that the light meant that all airbag s were disabled.

NHTSA ID

11521854

Incident

Dec 28, 2022

Mileage

118,521 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the middle row passenger’s side seat belt malfunctioned and could no longer be retracted. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the seat belt assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure and stated that the part was on backorder. The failure mileage was 85,000.

NHTSA ID

11509857

Incident

Jan 15, 2023

Mileage

85,000 mi

On September 11th, 2019 we had to replace (while still under warranty) the seat belt buckle assembly on the rear (middle seat, driver side) because it would no longer buckle. On January 23rd, 2023 we returned to our local Ford dealership because the other rear (middle seat, passenger side) seat belt buckle assembly would no longer buckle. Upon inspection by the dealership's trim technicians, it was discovered that the other previously replaced seat belt buckle assembly is also about to fail again as well. So I now have 1 completely broken seat belt buckle assembly and a 2nd one seat belt buckle assembly that is about to fail in the middle row of my Explorer where my children are passengers. This is a repeat safety deficiency and we are very upset about it. We were under the impression our children were safe in their seatbelts in the back seats of our car. We contacted Ford Motor Company about this safety deficiency and were assigned the following case # of [XXX]. We were also assigned the following individual to handle the financial cost of the required repairs: CXS [XXX] Customer Experience Specialist, SUV Team [XXX] |www.ford.com office: [XXX] ext.[XXX] Our Assistant Service Manager at AutoNation Ford sent all the requested repair information and pictures requested by [XXX] at Ford. Our Assistant Service Manager at AutoNation Ford is: [XXX] Phone: [XXX] Unfortunately today, we received a phone call from [XXX] at Ford indicating that we do not qualify to have the repairs of the seatbelts covered by Ford. We find this completely unacceptable that Ford is not going to fix a safety item in a car that is less than 10 years old and in excellent condition. This is the second time these items have failed. Not only are the belts failing to connect, but they are also fraying. We do not believe we should have to pay for this vital safety equipment to be repaired. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11504487

Incident

Jan 14, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the driver’s side second-row seat belt mechanism had malfunctioned and remained locked. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that a plastic piece inside the receiving latch assembly fractured and the entire latch needed to be replaced. The latch was replaced and the failure was fixed. The contact stated that later the same failure recurred on the second-row passenger’s side seat belt. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.

NHTSA ID

11463896

Incident

Jan 9, 2022

Mileage

102,000 mi

The Passenger second row seatbelt will not latch, The Ford Dealer want's $240.00 to diagnose the problem. The passenger second row seatbelt has an airbag built in, so it will be an expensive replacement, something I do not feel should be at a cost to the consumer. Major Safety issue in my opinion! We noticed it when we tried to latch out handicap teenager in the car, since we could not latch her in, we had to move her to the other side of the car.

NHTSA ID

11457980

Incident

Mar 17, 2022

2nd row seat seat belt not working is loose and will not reset. Took it to ford they want to charge me a lot of money, it's a safety issue

NHTSA ID

11456351

Incident

Mar 11, 2022

The airbag light comes on due to the connectors in the wiring harness used for the airbag and seatbelt restraint system. When the light is on the airbags will not deploy, making this a safety related issue. Ford has a technical service bulletin Ford TSB 16-0001 showing the issue. This is not covered for repair and the cost is $900.00 to $1100.00 per side (there are two sides) to replace the wire harness and connectors. https://www.tsbsearch.com/Ford/16-0001

NHTSA ID

11447116

Incident

Jun 1, 2021

We purchased this vehicle through CarMax and there were several items that required repair/replacement. One of which is the front passenger seat belt. There is a small tear in the seat belt. We are told that it is too small for replacement. We have not been injured since the purchase of the vehicle, though this is a major safety concern for my family. I would like to know the safety data and recommendations for seat belt tears/defects.

NHTSA ID

11439031

Incident

Nov 2, 2021

The system that failed is the seat belt buckle on the 40 seat (of the 60/40 second row seating). The clip inside the seatbelt broke while securing my child in the seat. This faulty belt buckle put my child's safety at risk. We could not travel, delaying our trip on the day we were to leave. If an accident occurred, this could have resulted in serious injury to my child. The belt buckle was removed and taken to the closest Ford dealership. A new belt buckle was ordered, costing $115. The seatbelt buckle was removed and brought into Ford to examine. No concern was observed by the service parts employee as he glanced over broken buckle to ensure he ordered the correct part. No warnings or "symptoms" were present previously to the failed seatbelt buckle. A cheap piece of plastic to hold my child in a seatbelt buckle failed. The broken buckle is available for inspection. A new one is being installed.

NHTSA ID

11426616

Incident

Jul 22, 2021

MY AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON AND THE FORD DEALER WARNED ME THAT THE AIRBAGS WOULD NOT DEPLOY UNTIL I GOT THE ISSUE FIXED. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE BY FORD, AS THEY HAVE ISSUED TSB IT. MY EXPLORER SPORT IS 4 MONTHS OVER THE 5 YEAR/60,000 MILE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY, SO I CONTACTED ASSURANT SOLUTIONS BECAUSE I BOUGHT A 72 MONTH/75,000 MILE EXTENDED WARRANTY THROUGH USAA ON 1/6/2016. THIS WAS MY FIRST CLAIM AND THEY DENIED THE CLAIM BECAUSE THEY SAID THAT 'SAFETY RESTRAINT SYSTEMS' WAS AN 'EXCLUDED ITEM'! WHAT'S INFURIATING IS THAT THEY COVER ELECTRICAL ASSEMBLY, INTERIOR ELECTRONICS AND POWER TRAIN ELECTRONICS, BUT NOT 'SAFETY' ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS!! I RAISED CANE WITH THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY WENT BACK TO FORD FOR A 'GOODWILL' WARRANTY COVERAGE AND THEY AGREED TO PAY FOR ALL BUT $261 OF THE REPAIR. WHILE I SINCERELY APPRECIATE THE GOODWILL OFFER, FORD LOST ANY FUTURE BUSINESS FROM ME FOR NOT PROACTIVELY OFFERING THE GOODWILL COVERAGE FROM THE START BEFORE I HAD TO PURSUE OTHER OPTIONS. SHAME ON FORD!! IT DOESN'T RISE TO THE LEVEL OF A FULL RECALL, BUT IT IS A KNOWN DEFECT WITH A CRITICAL SAFETY FEATURE, SO THEY SHOULD HAVE COVERED IT FROM THE START WHEN PRESENTED WITH THE AIR BAG LIGHT COMING ON! *TR

NHTSA ID

11407222

Incident

Apr 9, 2021

Mileage

51,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER MIDDLE ROW SEAT BELT FAILED TO LATCH CORRECTLY. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH BREDEMANN FORD (2038 WAUKEGAN RD, GLENVIEW, IL 60025, (847) 510-5585) WHO STATED THAT THE SEAT BUCKLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE AND FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL AND THERE WAS NO WARRANTY ON THE VEHICLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 33,778.

NHTSA ID

11399077

Incident

Feb 14, 2021

Mileage

33,778 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2016 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED UPON ENTERING THE VEHICLE, THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO LATCH SECURELY. THE CONTACT CALLED TOWN AND COUNTRY FORD (7800 E LLOYD EXPY, EVANSVILLE, IN 47715) HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. THE MANUFACTURE WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILLAGE WAS 45,000.

NHTSA ID

11396641

Incident

Feb 12, 2021

Mileage

45,000 mi

THERE IS AN SRS AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD THAT USED TO INTERMITTENTLY DISPLAY. NOW IT IS ON CONSISTENTLY WHEN THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN. IT IS DUE TO A CIRCUIT FAILURE OR A BROKEN CORD LEADING TO THE DRIVER SIDE MIDDLE ROW SEATBELT AIRBAG. DIRECTLY FROM SITE: HTTPS://FORD.OEMDTC.COM/1203/AIR-BAG-WARNING-LIGHT-ILLUMINATED-WITH-DTC-B141B-B141C-2014-2016-FORD-EXPLORER TSB 16-0001 AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) B141B AND/OR B141C THIS IS NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR BUT A SAFETY ITEM DESIGN BY FORD THAT HAS FAILED IN THE VEHICLE. FORD DEALERSHIP CLAIMS THAT THIS IS NOT WARRANTY FAILURE. BUT SOUNDS LIKE AN ELECTRICAL AND SAFETY ISSUE TO ME...WHICH SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE TRUTH TO THE MATTER IS...FORD DOES NOT CARE THAT A POTENTIALLY HIGH RISK PROBLEM HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A FAILURE ON THE COMPANY'S END BUT THEY DON'T CARE ENOUGH TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. WELL..OTHER THAN CHARGE THE CUSTOMER CLOSE TO $1000 OUT OF POCKET TO FIX FOR A POOR DESIGN ON FORD'S END. THE FORD DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT DOES NOT KNOW HOW THIS SAFETY FEATURE BROKE. IF WE WERE TO GET IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE THE AIRBAG IS IN THIS STATE, IT WOULD NOT DEPLOY AND THE LIVES OF ALL PASSENGERS IN JEOPARDY!

NHTSA ID

11384122

Incident

Dec 1, 2020

Mileage

47,000 mi