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 2000 Ford Mustang owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Drivers side and passenger (front) seatbelts no longer operational. They do not retract and they do not lock in place -- this is a safety issue. We attempted to get them replaced, but our Ford dealer has confirmed the drivers side belt has been discontinued. We have no recourse here.
Takata recall. The drivers side seat belt was replaced under warranty the first time, as it was failing to return to default position properly. The seat belt was replaced a second time, after I was rear ended (it was failing to retract again at the time, identical to the first time I had to have it replaced under warranty), and crushed into the vehicle in front of me. I was at a full stop when the vehicle hit me from behind. That crash deployed both airbags. The front and rear bumpers were replaced due to that crash, along with the seat belt. I have no way of knowing if those two replacement airbags were made by Takata. The seat belt has again become "unsafe" due to it not retracting. I have no way of knowing if the seat belt will function properly if I'm involved in another accident! …
Tl contact owns a 2000 Ford Mustang. While driving 45 MPH, the contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. She sustained injuries and the vehicle was destroyed. The front air bags failed to deploy. The current and failure mileages were 42,000. Updated 5/19/08 the seat belt did not properly restrain the consumer. Updated 05/19/08.
While driving 30 MPH consumer's vehicle was involved in a head on collision. Upon impact, dual air bags did not deploy, and driver's side seat belt failed. As a result, driver hit the windshield, and sustained severe lower back and neck injuries.
As many have said the pass. Side seat belt is jammed up, cannot be used. Even if you spend rime and completely straighten every thing out it works maybe once and jams up again. The complaints are legit. This car has 80,134 miles on it.
My car was parked in a parking lot. My friend took off his seat belt and as it was retracting, it locked. I tried to pull on it to see if it would unlock and it will not budge one bit. It is locked about half ways.
My 2000 Mustang gt overheated while I was driving back home, on a ten mile journey a couple days ago. Until this incident, my Mustang had never overheated. I bought the car last sept. I used hose water at gas station to cool it first on hood then once my engine looked cooler, I filled the radiator (thinking we'd flush the cooling system when I got it home) water emptied as fast as I poured it in, from intake manifold behind what looks like the thermostat housing. My car is my only transportation. Now I'm not sure what to do. Because I used all my money to buy this car. I can not afford to fix this. My situation appears identical to several on your site, such as this one I just copied from one of the complaints posted:oct 08, 2013 - lexington, sc - engine and engine cooling while driving vehicle, engine began to overheat. Steam rolled from under the hood. …
Tl contact owns a 2000 Ford Mustang. The vehicle was parked when the contact observed the front driver and passenger automatic shoulder belt retractors were inoperative. The front passenger seat belt retractor webbing failed to extract and the seat belt could not be worn by the driver and the passenger. NHTSA campaign id number 99v25000 is related to the failure; however, the VIN number was excluded from the recall. The contact is aware of the safety risk involved. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 100,000. Updated 12/07/09 the front driver side seat belt will not go into the retractor. Updated 12/09/09.
Tl contact owns a 2000 Ford Mustang. When the contact removed his seat belt, he noticed that it did not retract. He feels this is a safety issue because the seat belt could fail in the event of a crash. The dealer stated that the retractor was failing. The contact refused to have the retractor replaced because the dealer refused to have the retractor investigated to determine why the failure was occurring. No repairs have been made. The contact called the manufacturer and was informed that no compensation would be provided because the vehicle was not under warranty. The failure mileage was 67,000 and current mileage was 68,000.
Tl contact owns a 2000 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that the seat belts pulled back and had no slack. The contact also had to pull the seat belt out to eliminate the slack in the seat belt. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who stated that recall campaign number 99V250000, seat belts front, anchorage, but the vehicle was not included. The contact is the original owner and has dealt with this problem since the vehicle was purchased, but the dealer has never repaired the failure. The failure mileage was 10 and the current mileage was 85000. Updated 01/13/11 updated 01/27/11
Related recalls
Seat belts › Front › Anchorage
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The seat belt retractor May have a pin shaft in the switchable elr/alr mechanism that is incorrectly formed. In some circumstances, the switching mechanism could become nonfunctional, preventing the seat belt webbing from being extracted from the retractor.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the lap and shoulder belt assemblies. Assemblies with julian date codes of 200 through 223 are suspect and will be replaced.
Seat Belt complaints in other Mustang years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat belt problems on the 2000 Ford Mustang?
NHTSA has 43 complaints about the seat belts of the 2000 Ford Mustang, 11% of the model year's 395 complaints. The component named most often is front › retractor (16 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Ford Mustang seat belt problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 99V-250 (anchorage, Sep 20, 1999). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2000 Ford Mustang seat belt problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 79,000 miles, and 12% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires 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.