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 Mustang submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 19 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
PASSENGER SIDE SEATBELT WILL NOT. WORK , CANNOT PULL OUT TO USE IT... THE REPAIR SHOP IS HAVING A HARD TIME FINDING. A RETRACTOR. MECHANISM....MY FAMILY CANNOT SIT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. RIGHT NOW
WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S THE CAR SEAT OR THE CAR MODEL BUT WHEN I INSTALL THE BASE OF THE CAR SEAT ON THE CAR I TIGHTEN IT AS MUCH AS I CAN AND THE CAR SEAT SNAPS FIRM ON IT BUT THE BASE IS NOT FIRM ON THE CAR AND ONE TIME THE WHOLE THING FLIPPED OVER WHEN I MADE A SLOW TURN. (RELATED VEHICLE INFORMATION: MODEL YEAR=1998, MAKE=FORD, MODEL=MUSTANG). *TR
THE SEAT BELTS IN THE FRONT DO NOT OPERATE PROPERLY BECAUSE THEY HANG DOWN AND DO NOT RETRACT, MAKING IT DANGEROUS IF THE VEHICLE WERE TO BE INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. MANUFACTURER WILL CONTACTED BY CONSUMER.*AK THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE SEAT BELTS WERE HARD TO PULL OUT AND WILL NOT RETRACT ALL THE WAY BACK. THE SEAT BELTS FIT LOOSE ON THE BODY OF THE PERSON USING IT. *TC
CONSUMER STATED SEAT BELTS ON BOTH SIDES WERE DEFECTIVE. THEY WILL NOT RETRACT. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR REPAIRS, BUT NO ONE WANTED TO TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE OF THE LIABILITY ISSUES. *AK
THE REAR SEAT BELT RETRACTORS DO NOT WORK PROPERLY. WHEN THE SEAT BELT IS PULLED OUT THE BELTS DO NOT RETRACT. *AK
I OWN A 1998 FORD MUSTANG COUPE, EVER SINCE, I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE MY SEAT BELTS CONTINUED TO LOCK UP. THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT FINALLY GAVE UP AND IS NO LONGER USEFUL. ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2001 FORD MUSTANG COUPE, AND DEALING WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *JB
BOTH SEAT BELT RETRACTORS HAVE BEGUN TO FAIL TO OPERATE. IT TAKES AN EXTREME AMOUNT OF COAXING TO CAUSE THE SEALT BELTS TO RETRACT, IF AT ALL. THE PASSENGER SIDE RETRACTOR IS THE WORSE OF THE TWO AND IS USED FAR, FAR LESS. THIS LEADS ME TO BELEIVE IT IS NOT A SIMPLE WEAR AND TEAR FROM USE ISSUE.
DRIVER'S SIDE SEATBELT BOTTOM HALF BROKE. CONSUMER WILL FILL ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *AK
BOTH FRONT SEAT BELTS WERE REPLACED ON THREE OCCASIONS. BELTS WILL NOT RETRACT. VEHICLE AT DEALER SHOP FOR REPLACING BOTH SEAT BELTS AGAIN FOR SAME PROBLEM. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
SEATBELTS FAILED TO LOCK UP DURING A FRONT END COLLISION. DEALER HAS YET TO BE CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
WHILE STOPPED A TRAFFIC LIGHT ANOTHER VEHICLE HIT THE REAR OF THE CONSUMER CAR AT 30-40 MPH, THE DRIVERS SEAT BACK BROKE AND THE SEAT BELT RELEASED FROM THE BUCKLE CAUSING THE DRIVER TO SLIP UNDER THE STEERING WHEEL, THE DRIVER SUSTAINED SEVERE STRAIN TO THE NECK AND BRUISED RIGHT ANKLE AND LEG, THE PASSENGER ALSO RECEIVED A STRAINED NECK. NLM
VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED AND COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT, DRIVER'S SEATBACK COLLAPSED, AND RESTRAINTS RELEASED. ALSO, AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, RESULING IN MINOR INJURIES. FORD WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK
THE FRONT SEAT & SHOULDER BELTS WILL NOT STAY IN THE GUIDES PROVIDED FOR THEM. IT MAY BE THAT IN A FRONTAL COLLISION THEY WILL NOT FUNCTION CORRECTLY. I HAVE SEEN OTHER MUSTANGS WITH A DIFFERENT STYLE OF GUIDES. THEY LOOK AS IF THEY MIGHT FUNCTION CORRECTLY.
SELF-LOCKING SEAT BELTS.
SEAT BELT.
WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 38 MPH REAR TIRES SLIPPED OFF AND FELL ONTO THE PAVEMENT. LOST CONTROL, AND VEHICLE TURNED OVER ON ITS ROOF. SEAT BELT FAILED TO RESTRAIN DRIVER, AND SHE WAS INJURED. *AK
DEFECTIVE SEATBELT RETRACTOR
SAFETY SEAT BELT SLIPS OUT OF THE GUIDE CONTINUALLY DUE TO DESIGN LOCATION.
VEHICLE'S SUSPENSION DESIGN IS NOT STABLE WITH LIGHT REAR END CAUSING THE WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION TO BE OFF BALANCE, CONSUMER EXPERIENCED VEHICLE COLLISION DUE TO LOSS OF TRACTION CONTROL IN THE REAR END CRASHING INTO CONCRETE WALL, SEATBELT DID NOT LOCK UP PROPERLY RESULTING IN MINOR INJURY. MJS
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 .