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 1999 Ford Explorer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On 11/24/00 I hit a deer going 45-50 MPH. My air bags did not deploy and the driver and passenger seat belts did not lock. The front fender of my truck is cracked. The license plate flew 100 hundred feet as did the deer. Winner Ford said that the impact May not have been enough to lock the seat belts or cause the air bags to inflate. This was said without looking at the truck. On 11/26/00 I was bringing the truck to winner Ford, the truck then shut off while I was driving it. The key was still in the ignition and the engine was turning over as if it was still on. On closer inspection it was seen that you could see the metal behind the plastic casing. There was a gap of a 1/4 inch or more. The truck shut off 3 more times on my way home. I have already had the electric modual changed. The first time I went they told me it had been done, but it was not. …
I was driving on a highway when a car attampted to change the lanes and hit my car. The other car was turned across my lane and I hit the car with my front right side, then my car was pushed onto the concrete divider and I hit the divider with my front left side, all when traveling about 60 MPH. The passanger seat belt didn't lock up, and my wife was thrown on the dashboard. I also hit the stearing wheel with my head, and because I wear glasses I have some facial injuries. At the whole time when the accidend occured, none of the air bags had deployed.
Tl contact owns a 1999 Ford Explorer. The contact stated when he was parked the drivers side seat belt does not release to its capacity and when it does it did not lock in place. The vehicle was not been taken to a dealer or mechanic for diagnostic testing. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 6,800.
The vehicle slid on black ice and the consumer lost control of the vehicle. This caused a collision with another vehicle and the vehicle rolled over two times. The driver's seat belt came unbuckled and caused the driver to be thrown from the seat. Nlm
Nar 2/10/2003. The consumer informed the dealer she was having problems with the rear seat belt even though it was not used that frequently. The consumer was then told the seat belt could not be fixed under warranty.
Consumer stated the passenger rear shoulder belt tore in half while child was restrained in seating position.ts vehicle was out of warranty and manufacturer was not willing to assist financially.
Major defect with our cosco dreamride carbed. The carseat is hinged to provide an upright or reclined "bed" position, depending on how you install it in your car. When lifting the seat out of my car (in the upright position) the seat folded in on itself at the hinged joint, with my 3mo old son inside. He was not hurt but the carseat was no longer usable. I contacted cosco immediately, returned the seat to them and received a full refund. Before this incident I had the carseat examined at a usaa seat inspection. I was told not to use the seat in the "bed" positon becuase it could not be installed securely in that position. When I contacted cosco the csr told me that the baby's weight (???) would be enough to keep the seat stable!! I think not! …
There is a problem with the seatbelt latch. My 9 year old was putting on the seatbelt when the internal parts of the seatbelt latch came out of the housing. The internal parts came out intact. If I had been in an accident the seatbelt would have failed. This is a serious safety issue and Ford and their respective dealers feel it also is a serious problem since rather than focusing on anything else, all three calls I recieved, one from Ford motor company and two from recomended dealers all focus on the seatbelt. No mention is made of the other problems (until I bring it up), but they want to replace the seatbelt immediatly.
A child passenger seated in a booster seat became entangled by automatic seat belt. The belt was engaged in the automatic locking retractor mode and was also twisted abnormally. When the belt was unbuckled, the automatic locking retractor mode caused all of the slack to be drawn up into the mechanism and the remaning portion of the belt became extremely tight surrounding the child's midsection. Since this mode does not allow any slack to be given back, and no override provided, the belt had to be cut in half to remove the child from the vehicle.
Driver side rear seat belt will not extend from the housing mechanism, causing seat belt to be inoperable. Also, driver and passenger side seat belts do not latch in the buckle housing mechanism, causing belt to become inoperable. Also, experienced a problem with windshield wipers; when driving in rainy weather conditions, windshield wipers stop working, causing poor driver's visibility. Consumer has contacted the dealer. Please provide any further details.
NHTSA investigations
Seat belt webbing
Odi opened pe00-044investigation on November 3, 2000, based on a report regarding the death of the occupant of the right front seat in a 2000 model year Ford explorer xls involved in a roll-over crash.it is alleged that the webbing of the buckle portion of the seat belt assembly failed during the crash.the occupant was partially ejected from the vehicle, thereby sustaining fatal injuries.this investigation has been…
Seat Belt complaints in other Explorer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat belt problems on the 1999 Ford Explorer?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the seat belts of the 1999 Ford Explorer, 2% of the model year's 1,348 complaints. The component named most often is front › buckle assembly (8 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Ford Explorer seat belt problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seat belts recall for the 1999 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 1999 Ford Explorer seat belt problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 58,000 miles, and 20% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 1 fire and 4 injuries 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.