Seat Belt complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (buckles, retractors, anchors and pretensioners).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
I had an accident in east grand forks, minnesota on 02/28/06 I was going north on 5th ave n.e. And t-boned the other vehicle traveling westbound on 10th st n.e. They failed to stop at a stop sign. My air bags did not deploy all the way out they popped out of the steering wheel and dash on the passenger side but the air bag layed in my lap after the accident and vehicles came to a rest I still heard the air bags trying to inflate on impact my drivers door also flew open and my seat belt on the drivers side did not lock I was the only person in the vehicle.
Consumer's was traveling on the highway another vehicle crossed over into consumer's vehicle lane and hit it head on. The driver 's side seat belt failed to hold the driver in. Upon impact, both frontal airs bags did not deploy. Driver sustained head injuries. The ambulance was called, but the driver refused to go to the hospital by ambulance. She went on her on the same day. Vehicle was towed and totaled by the insurance company.
Noticed that engine warning light was coming up on and off, changed spark plugs,wires, light would go off for a period and than come back on. I was driving down the freeway between 65-70 miles/hour when I hured a loud bang , pulled off the freeway, I had the car taking to a local Ford dealership, service writer told me that the valve seat in the head had seperated and fell into the motor. He also told me that the 1.9 motor had a flaw in the head and Ford motor company new about this problem for many years. Than he showed me another Escort that6 had the same exact problem and that this was not the first car he seened with this problem. Second problem: I have had to replace 3 transmitions with in a year, which was covered by Ford motor company and possibly a 4th. I don't know because the motor went. …
Tl contact owns a 1999 Ford Escort. While driving between 30-35 MPH, the vehicle was involved in a crash on the front passenger side. The frontal seat belt webbings did not lock (NHTSA campaign id number 04e048000) and the front air bags failed to deploy. The contact suffered severe strain, sprain, and bruises to her chest and neck. The vehicle was destroyed and a police report was filed. The current and failure mileages were 104,308. Updated 09/12/07
Tl contact owns a 1998 Ford Escort. While driving between 35-40 MPH, rear ended another vehicle. At the time of the crash, the air bags failed to deploy. Both occupants were wearing seat belts, but that did not prevent them from being thrown to the front of the vehicle and injured. The driver sustained injuries to the head and face. A police report was filed. The vehicle was partially destroyed and the front bumper, bumper support, radiator and support, air conditioner condenser, and power steering reservoir were damaged. The failure and current mileages were 81,756.
My son was driving my 1998 Ford Escort lx on a 35 MPH road when the driver in front of him slammed on his brakes. My son immediately tried to stop the car, but he rear-ended the other car before he could come to a complete stop. During the impact, the driver's seat belt did not lock in place and the dual airbags did not deploy - allowing my son's upper body to continue forward until his face hit the steering wheel. The lap belt functioned properly, holding my son's lower body in place.
While in motion, consumer was involved in a collision and the airbags did not deploy. The seat belt also did not hold. Consumer suffered chest injuries to the rib cage. Consuemr wishes to have airbags opened and inspected at the local dealership.
The rear driver's side seat belt locked around child's neck and almost caused a fatal injury. The retractor would not release. The rear driver's side seat belt locked around child's neck and almost caused a fatal injury. The retractor would not release.
Related recalls (1)
Seat belts
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and Mini vans equipped with trw seat belt buckle assemblies. The buckle base of these seat belt assemblies were not properly heat treated and therefore do not pass the load bearing requirement of federal motor vehicle safety standard no.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the date code on certain seat belt buckles of your vehicle and replace all seat belt buckles that fall within the suspect date code range. Owner notification began October 26, 2000.
Frequently asked questions
Which Ford Escort years have seat belt problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1995 (152), 1996 (77), 1998 (17), 1999 (16) and 1997 (12) model years. Seat Belt complaints make up 26% of all complaints for the 1995.
Is there a recall for Ford Escort seat belt problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 00V228001 (seat belts, Aug 18, 2000). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Ford Escort seat belt problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 95,000 miles; 11% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the front › retractor (71 mentions), followed by the front › anchorage (41).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.