Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (buckles, retractors, anchors and pretensioners).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Ford Explorer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
1998 Ford Explorer left rear passenger safety belt release device that you put the seat belt into broke. I had my 1 year old daughter in her childseat correctly belted behind me in the left rear seat. I came to a normal stop, the heard belt click and turn around noticed it had come out of the buckle assembly. I pulled over and put the childseat and my daughter into the right rear seat. If I had come to a harder stop, or even a crash, my one and only daughter could have been killed. As of today, capital city Ford has not received my new buckle assemby. They called me in once sayinf the part was in. After 1 1/2 hours in the waiting room, I was told that they ordered the wrong part and that they needed to order the new one. I was then told that it would take some time because of the holidays. …
While driving under winter conditions, traveling at approximately 65 to 70 MPH, vehicle began to lose control. Right driver's side tire went into a ditch, and vehicle rolled 1 1/2 times. Driver's seat belt failed to lock up and preventing injury to driver. Please provide any additional information/attachments. Air bags failed to deploy during accident. Nlm
Dt: driver's side back seat belt latch broke. On June 1, 2005. Caller said the other two seat belt latches broke about a year ago and caller had them fixed. Also, she low beam iwasnot working . She had it checked at a repair shop and was told they could not find what was wrong with it. Dealer and manufacturer have not been contacted yet.
Took seat belt to be repaired 3 or 4 times and ended up being ordered and wrecked before getting it replaced. Tire on right rear shredded and front right and left rear blewout. It was a rollover accident front to rear and side rollover and airbags didn't come out. My 5 1/2 year old daughter was thrown and killed in the wreck.( dot number: )
Dt: the contact purchased a used vehicle on a warranty. She discovered the rear seat belt buckle assemblies were broken. Also, the front seats did not recline properly. She took the vehicle to a dealer. No repairs have been made at this time.
When making turns, especially right turns, vehicle slides and almost turns over. Consumer states vehicle is experiencing acceleration problems,and there was a humming noise coming from the engine, signals are not working, dealer replaced a defective connector and multi-function switch, Firestone tires have experienced tread separation, which were replaced in July 2001, the rear seats move/bounce when driving, the rear seat belts were inoperative, the dealer replaced the buckles, there was smoke coming from the steering column, dealer replaced the multi-function switch, the windshield was chipped, the alarm would not chut off at times, dealer replaced a bad loose wire.
Throttle pedal continually sticks when initially engaged in either drive or reverse. Causes lunge in direction of travel if driver unaware of defect. Submitted to dealer twice, still not repaired. Poor seatbelt design has driver's seatbelt continually stuck in drivers door upon exit from vehicle. Rear passenger window scrapes and makes noise during operation. Dealer did not fix when initially brought up after initial purchase. ABS light intermittently appears during driving. Dealer noted code of 1924 but had no response for problem. Not resolved. Dissapointed with quality of vehicle for $$ paid.
Thank you for your article confirming repeated seatbelt failure with fords. My 98 Ford Explorer sport has been to the original dealer twice with seatbelts that do not retract correctly. They hang out the door. The dealership told me it is because of the seating position. (upright!) I have contacted Ford directly and was referred back to the dealer. I'm a car seat technician through NHTSA and am familiar with how seat belts work. These work when they want to. I constantly have to guide them back into the retractor. Please help because I'm sure I'm not the only one. Thank you.
I own one of the above mentioned vehicle. I saw in the news recently a vehicle like mine involved in a motor vehicle accident. One of the occupans (a female just married) got ejected form the vehicle and died while wering her 3 point seatbelt. Obviously the restraint equipment failed. I would like to request any information available to the public on this matter. Thanks in advanced for your prompt respond, ruiz.
1998 Ford Explorer. The rear passenger side seat belt won't retract. It has already been replaced once, while under warranty, and now the replacement is doing the same thing. Of course it is no longer under warranty and the cost will be around $300. Also, cd exchanger has already been replaced once and is broken again.
Seat Belt complaints in other Explorer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat belt problems on the 1998 Ford Explorer?
NHTSA has 38 complaints about the seat belts of the 1998 Ford Explorer, 2% of the model year's 1,959 complaints. The component named most often is front › anchorage (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Ford Explorer seat belt problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seat belts recall for the 1998 Ford Explorer, though it has 9 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1998 Ford Explorer seat belt problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 104,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 12 injuries and 2 deaths to seat belts problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.