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 Mustang owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Ford Mustang convertible. The contact stated that the rear passenger seat belts malfunctioned and would not secure anyone sitting in the rear of the vehicle. The dealer was contacted and advised that he would need to purchase replacement seat belts for the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000. The VIN was not available.
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. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Driver-side seat belt is severly frayed/compromised. The portion of the belt that is damaged can be seen when the belt is extended out as in use (extended) and looking down at the retractor assembly. I believe this excessive wear condition is produced by normal driver movements that cause the belt to rub against the guide located on the outboard base of the seat near the retractor assembly. I can provide digital images of the problem, if that is helpful to you. [email]
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'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
Seat Belt complaints in other Mustang years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat belt problems on the 1998 Ford Mustang?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the seat belts of the 1998 Ford Mustang, 8% of the model year's 300 complaints. The component named most often is front › retractor (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Ford Mustang seat belt problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seat belts recall for the 1998 Ford Mustang, though it has 4 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 Mustang seat belt problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 87,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 6 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.