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 1996 Ford Ranger submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 26 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 26, in the owner's own words
Drivers side seat belt buckle does not work. The tongue on the long strap does not lock into the buckle at the seat. I think this may be a recall problem with other models and/or years, but not 1996 Ford Rangers.
Drivers side seat belt buckle does not release. Broken about ten years. Currently using middle seat belt buckle.
DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT WILL NOT STAY LATCHED INTO LATCHING MECHANISM
IT TOOK SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO GET THE DRIVERS SEAT BELT TO LATCH. SHORTLY AFTER THE SEAT BELT CAME UNLATCHED AS I WAS DRIVING. AFTER THAT THE BELT WON'T STAY LATCHED. *TR
DRIVER'S SEAT BELT WILL NOT LATCH. *TR
THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILS TO HOLD. *TR
I BOUGHT THIS FORD RANGER AS A USED CAR ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF AGO. THE SEAT BELT WILL NOT LATCH INTO BUCKLE. I AM USING THE PASSENGERS SIDE BUCKLE FOR NOW. I AM AFRAID I WILL STRANGLE MYSELF IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. I JUST WANT A REPLACEMENT PART AND NEED TO KNOW IF THIS PART WAS RECALLED SO I CAN GO TO THE DEALERSHIP AND HAVE THEM FIX IT. *TR
DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE WON'T LATCH. *TR
1996 FORD RANGER XLT DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT WILL NOT STAY LATCHED. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 FORD RANGER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SEAT BELT ON THE DRIVER SIDE DOES NOT LATCH. THE BUCKLE WILL NOT CONNECT TO THE LATCH OF THE SEAT BELT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT SERVICED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 118,000.
DRIVERS SEAT BELT WOULD LATCH AND LATER POP OUT OF BUCKLE. *TR
I HAVE A 96 FORD RANGER. SEAT BELT WILL NOT STAY FASTENED, WILL COME LOOSE WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. *JB
DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT RELEASED WITHOUT WARNING, WOULD NOT RECONNECT. PURCHASED A NEW ONE AND INSTALLED IT MYSELF. NOTIFIED FORD MOTOR CO., NO RESPONSE. *NM
WHEN I PUT MY DRIVERSIDE SEAT BELT INTO THE BUCKLE IT WILL NOT LATCH. I WENT TO CLASSIC FORD AT 7799 MENTOR AVE, MENTOR, OH AND THEY SAID IT WAS OUT OF WARRENTY AND FORD WOULD NOT COVER IT. THEY WANTED TO CHARGE ME TO REPLACE IT. APPROX. $100. I CURRENTLY USE THE FEMALE END OF THE MIDDLE PASSENGER SEAT BELT. *NM
ON MY 1996 FORD RANGER PICKUP TRUCK THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE HAS FAILED. THE SEAT BELT LATCH INSERTS INTO THE BUCKLE, BUT DOES NOT CATCH. I AM CURRENTLY USING THE CENTER SEAT BUCKLE FOR THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT UNTIL I GET IT REPAIRED.
I HAVE A 1996 FORD RANGER AND THE REASON I AM WRITING IS THAT THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE WILL NOT STAY BUCKLE OR SECURE. I FASTEN THE SEAT BELT AND A MINUTE LATER IT COMES UNBUCKLE.
CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING SEAT BELT PROBLEMS. MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE CONTACTED, AND STATED THAT VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE ANY WARRANTY, AND THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. ALSO, SEAT BELTS ON THE MIDDLE SEAT WOULD NOT NOT BUCKLE.*AK
CONSUMER STATES THAT THE FRONT SEAT BELTS BUCKLES WILL NOT LOCK PROPERLY CAUSING THE CONSUMER NOT TO HAVE A SEAT BELT ON WHILE DRIVING. DEALER NOTIFIED TS
WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 TO 60 MPH - ANOTHE VEHICLE PULLED INTO TRAFFIC LANE AND CAUSED A CRASH. CONSUMER'S VEHICLE REAR ENDED OTHER VEHICLE PULLING INTO LANE. PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR FAILED TO HOLD PASSENGER AND RELEASED DURING IMPACT. PASSENGER EXPERIENCED RIB INJURIES, AND MULTIPLE BRUISES ON BODY AND FACE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS.*AK
DRIVER'S SIDE SEATBELT BUCKLE WILL GO INSIDE OF RETRACTOR, BUT SEATBELT WILL NOT RETRACT. DEALERSHIP AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK
DOOR PROBLEM; IT IS HARD TO GET INTO VEHICLE ALSO, BELT WARNING SYSTEM B UZZER KEEPS RINGING/ LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY WHEN IT'S WARM OUTSIDE. WHEN THE BELL RINGS ALOT, IT KILLS THE BATTERY. *AK
SAFETY BELTS "ROLL" - WHEN USING THE SEAT BELTS IN MY RANGER, THE MATERIAL FOR THE BELTS IS SO SOFT THEY ROLL INSIDE THE GUIDE BY MY SHOULDER CAUSING THE SEAT BELT TO BE TWISTED. IT TAKES ADJUSTMENT TO STRAIGHTEN THE BELT AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT WOULD OR WOULD NOT CAUSE ANY PROBLEMS DURING AN ACCIDENT. IT SEEMS TO ME THE BELT SHOULD ALWAYS BE STRAIGHT FOR MAX SUPPORT DURING AN ACCIDENT.
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISON AND THE AIR BAG DID'T DEPLOY. THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT BROKE WHICH CAUSED THE DRIVER TO BE INJURED. *AK
CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A SIDE IMPACT COLLISON IN WHICH THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED, CAUSING CONSUMER TO SUSTAIN 2ND TO 3RD DEGREE BURNS. ALSO DRIVER'S SIDE SHOULDER BELT MIGHT HAVE MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING HER TO SUSTAIN AN INJURIES TO THE HEAD. *AK
ANTILOCK BRAKES FAILED, CAUSING ACCIDENT, ALSO SEAT BELT FAILED IN ACCIDENT, CAUSING INJURY.
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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