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.
21
Latest Sep 27, 2020
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.
19%
of 109 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.
2
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
3
What this page shows
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1989 Ford Mustang submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 21 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
Driver assistanceExterior lightingSeat belts
Filed Sep 27, 2020
SEAT BELTS PULL OUT AND LATCH HOWEVER THE CROSS BODY PORTION DOES NOT RECEDE BACK INTO FRAME, ONLY CONTINUES TO LOOSEN AND NOT RETRACT THIS HAPPENS AT ANY TIME YOU ATE USING THE SEAT BELTS, HAPPENS WITH FRONT AND PASSENGER SEAT BELTS, EITHER STOPPED. DRIVING, BREAKING OR EXCELLING. ITS ALL THE TIME . MY BEST GUESS IS THAT THE SEAT BELT MECHANISM IS OLD AND WORE OUT. SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING ABOUT 8 MONTHS AGO. AT THAT TIME THERE WAS 131,000 ORIGINAL MILES ON THE MOTOR. NO IDEA WHY THE SPEEDOMETER JUST STOPPED WORKING AS I WAS DRIVING IN TOWN GOING ABOUT 35 MILES PER HOUR. OVERDRIVE STOPPED WORKING. NO WARNING, NO OCCASIONAL SLIPS. JUST STOPPED WORKING WHILE SWITCHING INTO OVERDRIVE IT WOULD NOT ENGAGE AT ALL. HAVE TO KEEP THE CAR UNDER 50 MILES PER HOUR AS CAR WON'T SHIFT INTO NEXT GEAR. MY GUESS IS CHANGE TRANSMISSION. LOOKING FOR ONE NOW TO EITHER REBUILD IT OR GET A NEW ONE. SWITCHES, DRIVER SIDE SWITCH WOULD NOT CATCH THE WINDOW TO ROLL UP OR DOWN,, THEN THE SWITCH PLATE WOULD STICK AND STARTED SMOKING. I REPLACED THE SWITCH TWICE NOW WITHIN THE LAST YEAR. INTERIOR LIGHTING FOR SPEEDOMETER GAGES ARE NO LIGHTS. UNABLE TO SEE GAGES. ***I DO REALIZE THE CAR IS 31 YEARS OLD NOW. AND MAY JUST BE OLD AGE GETTING TO MY FOXBODY. *** THANK YOU
NHTSA ID
11361416
Incident
Feb 2, 2020
Mileage
131,000 mi
Seat belts
Filed Aug 30, 2002
WHILE DRIVING AND WITH NO WARNING CONSUMER HIT BRAKES AND DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT WILL NOT STAY IN LOCKED POSITION. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AKTHE DRIVERS SIDE BELT WAS REPLACED, BUT WOULD NOT WORK AFTER INSTALLATION. *JG
NHTSA ID
8017633
Incident
Aug 26, 2002
Seat belts
Filed Aug 28, 2002
FRONT PASSENGER LAP SEAT BELT WILL NOT STAY IN LOCKED POSITION ,AND IS CAUSING CONSUMER NOT TO HAVE A SEAT BELT ON WHILE DRIVING. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK
NHTSA ID
8017479
Incident
Aug 9, 2002
Seat belts
Filed Jan 23, 2001
BOTH DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SHOULDER BELTS DO NOT RETRACT PROPERLY OR WILL EITHER JUST HANG UP, CAUSING LOSS OF PROTECTION.*AK
NHTSA ID
878814
Seat belts
Filed Feb 19, 1999
SEATBELT NOT RETRACTING TO PROPER POSITION. *AK
NHTSA ID
703520
Interior & seatsSeat beltsSteering
Filed Jan 27, 1999
SEATBELTS DO NOT RETRACT PROPERLY, AND CAN TANGLE. FRONT SEAT DRIVERS SIDE ANCHOR BROKE, METAL SUPPORTING SEAT RAIL WAS SPLIT. REPAIRED VIA BRAZING. SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE CLICKED FROM DELIVERY, DEALER SAID WAS NORMAL, AT MILEAGE THE NEEDLE EXITED THE ASSEMBLY AFTER A SHORT PERIOD OF WILDLY ERATIC MOVEMENT. *AK
NHTSA ID
702636
Incident
Mar 1, 1989
Body & structureEngineInterior & seats+1 more
Filed May 6, 1998
COOLING FAN/ROOF CRACKED AT UPPER LEFT CORNER OF HATCH AREA/SEAT BELT RETRACTORS MALFUNCTIONED/ DRIVER'S SEAT FEELS WOBBLY.
NHTSA ID
535240
Incident
Jan 20, 1998
Seat belts
Filed Apr 17, 1998
LEFT FRONT SEAT BELT FAILED 3 TIMES.
NHTSA ID
534609
Driver assistanceSeat belts
Filed Sep 16, 1997
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND DURING SHIFTING GEARS, VEHICLE ACCELERATES. THE ONLY WAY TO STOP IS BY TURNING OFF THE IGNITION. *AK
NHTSA ID
510296
Incident
Aug 13, 1993
Seat belts
Filed Nov 5, 1996
LAP/SHOULDER BELTS ON DRIVER'S/ PASSENGER'S SIDES AND REAR ARE BROKEN, WILL NOT RETRACT. *AK
NHTSA ID
802732
Incident
Jan 1, 1995
Seat belts
Filed Oct 7, 1996
WHEN SEAT BELTS ARE REMOVED FROM USE, THEY DO NOT RETRACT; WHEN ONE TRIES TO USE THE BELTS, AFTERWARDS, SLACK FROM NON-RETRACTING REMAINS LOOPED OUTSID EOF DOOR, BELTS FEEL TIGHT FROM BEING CAUGHT IN THE DOOR. *AK
NHTSA ID
802126
Seat belts
Filed Sep 26, 1996
FAILURE OF THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SEAT BELT RETRACTORS, SEAT BELTS WILL NOT RETRACT.*AK
NHTSA ID
801108
Incident
Aug 20, 1996
Seat belts
Filed Sep 17, 1996
FAILURE OF THE REAR LAP BELT, THE BUCKLE WOULD NOT RELEASE, HAD TO CUT THE BELT TO GET CHILD OUT. *AK
NHTSA ID
802552
Incident
Sep 16, 1996
Seat belts
Filed Sep 10, 1996
SEAT BELTS FAIL TO RETRACT. *AK
NHTSA ID
508375
Seat belts
Filed Sep 5, 1996
Crash reported
FRONT AUTOMATIC SEAT BELTS DO NOT LOCK UPON IMPACT. *AK
NHTSA ID
801871
Seat belts
Filed Jun 4, 1996
THE SIDE SEATBELT WILL NOT RETRACT SO THAT IT MAY RESTRAIN OCCUPANT IN AN ACCIDENT. *AK
NHTSA ID
985242
Incident
Jun 1, 1996
Seat belts
Filed Sep 15, 1995
Crash reported2 injuries reported
DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE LAP/SHOULDER FAILED DID NOT RETRACT, IMPACT 1:00 POSITION SPEED 35 MPH. TT
NHTSA ID
972057
Incident
Jul 6, 1994
Seat belts
Filed Aug 16, 1995
BOTH FRONT DRIVER/PASSENGER SEAT BELTS FAIL TO RETRACT. BELTS HAVE EXTREME SLACK. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
NHTSA ID
970581
Driver assistanceSeat belts
Filed Jun 22, 1995
THE SEAT BELT DON'T RETRACT BACK TO POSITION. TT
NHTSA ID
967649
Incident
Jan 1, 1992
Seat belts
Filed Mar 1, 1995
1 injury reported
SEAT BELT DOES NOT RETRACT PROPERLY. RESULTING IN DRIVER HITTING NOSE ON STEERING WHEEL. TT
NHTSA ID
960834
Incident
Aug 1, 1994
Seat belts
Filed Feb 4, 1995
DRIVER'S SEAT BELT RETRACTOR FAILS TO RETRACT OR HOLD TENSION, CAUSING BELT TO BECOME TOO LOOSE. *SKD
NHTSA ID
481005
Incident
Feb 4, 1995
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