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 Taurus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My son is 22 yrs old he bought this 1999 Ford Taurus from a used car dealer in March 2013,him and his girlfriend was driving down the highway when all of a sudden,the car jerked to the left really hard he could not control it no steering control,needless to say he went down a ditch thru a yard and hit this ladys parked car in her drive way totaling it,and hit the side of her house,his girl friend was critically injured having to be airlifted,this accident resulted in a serious injury and serious property damage,his girl friends seat belt failed to lock causing her to go forward the airbags did deploy but because seat belt failed to lock her head ended up hitting windshield when she got jerked forward.,,,after accident had the car looked at by a mechanic,the sub frame had rusted out and broken and the lower control arm had snapped causing the car to jerk to the left and causing this …
Tl contact owns a 1999 Ford Taurus. While driving 40 MPH something hit the windshield and shattered it. The driver crashed into objects that she could not identify. The crash occurred on February 10, 2008. The seat belts didn't engage to keep her from hittin the steering wheel. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained severe injuries. A police report was available. The current and failure mileages was 67,473. Updated 04/22/08.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the rear row seat belts on the passenger and driver side failed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 132,000.
I would say 7 times out of 10 while driving in my car the driver side seat belt randomly pops unbuckled or if I reach for something it unbuckles. It is a little scary to be honest. Sometimes when I break the slightest pressure cause it to fail
Rear seatbelt difficult to latch wtih child seat / booster seat present. When using a child safety seat with build in straps in combination with the center rear seat lapbelt with optional stud mounted on strap for shoulder belt attachment, this flaw is not that evident. Although, as the child progresses into the booster seat stage and has outgrown the weight of the child seat safety staps, the use of a booster seat in the center rear with combination lap belt becomes very difficult to latch. The act of latching the seatbelt can range from first try to 20 or 30 attempts before it latches. Multiple female seat belt recepticles where used, same effect on all. …
On February 10th, 2008, my front windshield suddenly shattered, leaving a hole in it's center and "crackling" the remaining part of the window, making it impossible for me to see through it. I immediately slammed on the brakes (there were no other cars on the road at the time) causing the car to jerk violently to the right 90 degrees and slam head first into an electrical utility box. The car continued to spin around which drove it over an island in the center of the road and into a road sign and while still spinning, smashed into a utility pole next to the utility box. During this entire incident, I could not see anything through the windshield and was not aware what the car was hitting or what direction it was moving. When the car hit the utility box, I was traveling about 35mph. …
In a 1999 Ford Taurus se, my 6 year old son became trapped in a seat belt that was not even buckled. After arriving home at 9 p.m. My son had just unbuckled his seat belt when somehow he pulled the seat belt over him and the seat belt wrapped around him and it was around his waist and back. The seat belt just kept getting tighter on him and would not release just like a cowboys lasoe. Any slack I could get was going up in the shoulder restraint. The belt would not give me any slack. This was in the rear seat on the drivers side. After it got so tight that my son was crying in pain and panic, I finally had to cut the seat belt to free my son. My complaint is that this should have never happened. Why is there no slack given on the seat belt especially in a parked car. The belt should not keep locking and taking up slack. This is an unseen danger lurking that could entrap a child. …
In a 1999 Ford Taurus se, my 6 year old son became trapped in a seat belt that was not even buckled. After arriving home at 9 p.m. My son had just unbuckled his seat belt when somehow he pulled the seat belt over him and the seat belt wrapped around him and it was around his waist and back. The seat belt just kept getting tighter on him and would not release just like a cowboys lasoe. Any slack I could get was going up in the shoulder restaint. The belt would not give me any slack. This was in the rear seat on the drivers side. After it got so tight that my son was crying in pain and panic, I finally had to cut the seat belt to free my son. My complaint is that this should have never happened. Why is there no slack given on the seat belt especially in a parked car. The belt should not keep locking and taking up slack. This is an unseen danger lurking that could entrap a child. …
Tl contact owns a 1999 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the rear seat belt retractors have malfunctioned. The seat belts will not pull out to be used, therefore she cannot restrain anyone in the rear seats. Both seat belts failed within one month of each other. She stated that the rear seats are rarely used, therefore the failure could not have been caused by excessive or improper use. The dealer stated that she is beyond the extended warranty for the belts and the repair would cost $476. The dealer also stated that her VIN was not included in recall number 99V250000 (seat belts:front:anchorage). The failure mileage was 77,000 and current mileage was 78,000.
The front passenger seatbelt, 2nd seat seatbelts have not retracked properly since purchase of our used Ford Taurus wagon. Back seat belts also twist themselves and are constant problems. I have grandchildren that need to be restrained and this causes big problems. Since this appears to be a continuous problem and complaint why hasn't a recall been issued before a death or serious injury has occurred?? According to my old insurance site-there was a recall issued for the seatbelt problem but the Ford site doesn't list it under my VIN #.
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 belts › Front › Anchorage
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with manual seat tracks. The front seat belt buckle attaching stud May have been improperly heat treated. This heat treatment May have resulted in cracks developing in the stud.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat belt buckle mounting bracket and stud assembly.
Seat Belt complaints in other Taurus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat belt problems on the 1999 Ford Taurus?
NHTSA has 60 complaints about the seat belts of the 1999 Ford Taurus, 7% of the model year's 874 complaints. The component named most often is front › retractor (15 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Ford Taurus seat belt problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 99V-250 (anchorage, Sep 20, 1999); NHTSA recall 98V-198 (anchorage, Aug 25, 1998). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1999 Ford Taurus seat belt problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 62,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 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.