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 Windstar owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
We collided with a 1989 Chevrolet truck driven by an intoxicated driver who pulled out in front of us in a 45 MPH speed zone. We were in our 1998 Ford Windstar. Our children, ages 18 and 13 were seated in the quad seats behind the front seats, and on impact, both seat belts for their seats came undone.
Involved in collision with other vehicle - front drivers side of other vehicle hit front drivers side of my vehicle - both my wife (front passenger) and myself had our seat belts on. At impact my wifes seat belt did not hold her upper body back causing her upper body to go forward and strike her forehead with the rear view mirror. Also air bags did not deploy. Seat belts at times don't tighten across the upper body.
Consumer was involved in a collision in which vehicle flipped and crashed into a tree. Seat belt buckle on the passenger's side bench seat broke, causing child and infant seat to be thrown to the floor. Vehicle did not flip, it hit water and spun. The buckle shattered and the plastic housing and springs internal to the mechanism broke apart.
Dt: the contact states that the seat belt straps are ripping apart. Two of the straps have completely ripped. One of the straps is fraying. Each of the seat belts is located in a different row. Two of the seat belts have been replaced.
However, we are currently very upset with our local Ford dealer over a simple seat belt. We own a 1998 Ford Windstar. When the car was less than a year old we took it in to have a frayed seat belt repaired. I have the paperwork for this repair. We then had a baby and installed a five point harness car seat in that seat position. The car seat remained there for four years, (removed only when so filthy it had to be cleaned), thus the seat belt remained locked in position and was not pulled out or retracted during that time. That baby is now old enough to need a booster seat (which utilizes the seat belt directly). Within six months of starting to use the booster seat daily we noticed that the seat belt was once again fraying. I called the dealer and he told me to bring it in. …
I've been having a problem with the seatbelts (the front passenger and all 5 of the rear seatbelts). I have talk to the dealer and I have sent a email to Ford inc. The tell me that there is nothing wrong with the seatbelts. The problem that I'm having is that the seatbelts (except the drivers side) is that they keep locking up. What I mean by that is when you pull the seatbelt out to put it on and snap the two halves together, when you let the extra part of what you pulled out roll back into the roller, after this point, most of the time the seatbelt locks. They will not pull out anymore. You can't lean forward without taking the seatbelt off. I have found that when I or my kids ride in the back seats or front passenger seat, that the seatbelts keep getting tighter as you drive down the road, which in turn makes you take the seatbelt off due to pain from the seatbelt pulling tight. …
We own a 1998 Ford Windstar. When the car was less than a year old we took it in to have a frayed seat belt repaired. I have the paperwork for this repair. We then had a baby and installed a five point harness car seat in that seat position. The car seat remained there for four years, (removed only when so filthy it had to be cleaned), thus the seat belt remained locked in position and was not pulled out or retracted during that time. That baby is now old enough to need a booster seat (which utilizes the seat belt directly). Within six months of starting to use the booster seat daily we noticed that the seat belt was once again fraying. I called the dealer and he told me to bring it in. We took it back to the original repair place (with the paperwork from the first repair) and explained the situation. …
Courtesy lights will intermittenly work. They will come on when driving at night, or sometimes they will not come on at all. Experiencing other electrical problems with the reverse lights, interior lights, automatic door locks, door check light, and signal lights operating intermittently, consumer states that the engine is noisy and the engine check light is always on, the seat belt is loose, passenger side arm rest is loose, and the back window wiper is inoperative.
7- year old child was sitting on passenger's side backrow and ended up getting tangled up with shoudler belt. When she couldn't breathe, she asked for help. Another passenger unbuckled seatbelt, but seatbelt was in retracting mode, so it continued to strangle 7-year old child. Seatbelt had to be cut off in order to allow child to breathe. Consumer felt there should be release button to deactivate retracting mode.
The consumer stated that when she made a sudden stop, her 5 year old child's safety seat came flying to the front of the vehicle. She stated that the safety seat actually came loose from the seat belt. That the child sustain some minor injuries (2 bumps on the head) but never came out of the graco seat because it remained fastened. The seat was originally position on the passenger side third row bench seat.
Seat Belt complaints in other Windstar years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat belt problems on the 1998 Ford Windstar?
NHTSA has 28 complaints about the seat belts of the 1998 Ford Windstar, 2% of the model year's 1,433 complaints. The component named most often is front › anchorage (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Ford Windstar seat belt problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seat belts recall for the 1998 Ford Windstar, though it has 11 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 Windstar seat belt problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 113,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 7 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.