Seat Belt complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (buckles, retractors, anchors and pretensioners).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Driving east bound at 35 MPH when a vehicle turned in front of me and I had a direct hit on the right side of his vehicle. I hit the steering wheel with my chest. The seat belt did not hold me back and neither air bag deployed.
After looking up all of the service reports on this vehicle, I am beginning to recognize that Ford has some explaining to do. We have a large amount of service reports on our vehicle alone that our dealership is not reporting. We have paid more for service repairs than we did paying for the vehicle. Our ac/heat just clicks w/o working, power windows front and rear do not work, power door locks, leaking roofs, leaking doors, ABS lights on, engine lights on, traction control light on, engine sputters even after two complete old fashioned tune-ups, cowl broken, front and rear axles severely cracked, sub-frame cracked, rear wiper does not work properly, brakes need constant repairs, electrical shorts everywhere, head lights, fog lights, brake lights all need constant replacements, alternator was replaced 6 times in one day because they were all faulty, brake switch under brake pedal needs …
I was involved in accident where I ran into a motorhome that pulled out in front of me. I was traveling approximately 40mph and hit at a slight angle but direct hit to the rear dual wheels that actually dislodged the axle of the motorhome. My vehicle was totalled. It had severe damage to the front end including the driver's side half of the bumper. The impact buckled the roof of my Windstar Mini-van. The air bag did not deploy and the seatbelt apparently failed as my chest hit the steering wheel and also my face. The state trooper said he saw my teeth marks in the steering wheel and the steering wheel was cracked. If I did not have a bruise on my left shoulder area that showed the seatbelt actually caught for an instant and then released me into the steering wheel the trooper said he would have cited me for not wearing a belt. …
Consumer called complaining about having problems with the evenflo child seat model #25804167, dom 01/05/2002. The manufacturer was not contacted at the time of this call. The rear buckle which held the left harness unbuckled by itself every time child will lean forward.
ABS light, brake light came on. The seatbelt unhooks while I'm driving, I was told I had a cracked axle, the wheel bearing was very noisy, I've paid a lot of money to get things fixed. The labor was at a ridiculous amount on $25 parts. I'm wondering if I've paid to have parts fixed that were under recall. I fix one thing and then there's another issue. Oil is leaking under the hood and I'm afraid it will catch fire so I'm scared to drive.
During inspection inspecter 38573 reported a diagnostic fault as airbag control module. After failed inspection. I looked for part with the avail. Current part on vehicle is 1f2a-14b321-ee. I cannot find a part number matching. I took it to a second mechanic to verify if he infact was right. And I looked at the diagnostic and the airbag did not show up however what did show up after airbag light came on after a full memory clear was code b234 which points to driver safety belt buckle switch short circuit to ground. Or in lames terms safety belt buckle switch. This should never in a cars life ever happen. If this happened before a accident this could cause death to the consumer. Im the second owner of this vehicle I believe so im not sure if there's a recall for this particular issue as I do know there's one similar. My reinspection is due within 6 days. …
The consumer complained about multiple problems with the vehicle on numerous occasions. The driver noticed smoke coming from underneath the vehicle, and pulled over. The smoke went out on its own. The driver had the vehicle towed. The second incident involved the transmission exploding while driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection, and the mechanic determined that the transmission and the engine needed to be replaced. Only four of the seat belts worked.
I was pulling into a parking space, when the van lurched and surged over an enbankment. Since I had my foot on the brake I feel the problem was mechanical.even though I cannot swear my foot did not slip off the brake I do not think it did. It is my opinion that something caused the Windstar to surge and even with my foot on the brake it would not stop. The vehicle hit the edge of the pavement at tht edge of the embankment, hit the ground 8-10 feet down the embankment, slid 3/4 sideways down the hill, hit a concrete water run off gulley and rolled onto the bottom of the left side then rolled back upright. The impact at the bottom of the hill was hard enough to break the front wheel, and crack the rear wheel. The vehicle had to be towed away. At no time during this "wild ride" did my seat belt tighten,or secure me in the seat. …
Related recalls (2)
Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
Vehicle description: passenger and sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and minivans. Equipped with seat belts supplied by trw. It is possible that the driver's and/or front passenger's outboard seat belt buckle May not fully latch. Ford crown victoria built at st.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the front outboard seat belt buckles and if the buckle fails the inspection process, it will be replaced. Owner notification began July 25, 2001.
Seat belts
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and Mini vans equipped with trw seat belt buckle assemblies. The buckle base of these seat belt assemblies were not properly heat treated and therefore do not pass the load bearing requirement of federal motor vehicle safety standard no.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the date code on certain seat belt buckles of your vehicle and replace all seat belt buckles that fall within the suspect date code range. Owner notification began October 26, 2000.
NHTSA investigations
Front seat belt buckle assembly
Under recall campaign (01V227), Ford recalled approximately 1.3 million vehicles to inspect and if necessary replace the front driver and/or passenger seat belt buckle.approximately 1.1 million owners responded by taking their vehicles to a dealer for inspection of the buckle using a specialized buckle test tool.Ford reported that 829,927 vehicles had both buckles pass the tool test and another 167,336 vehicles had…
Front seat belt buckle assembly
During the initial recall campaign in 2001, the subject vehicles were inspected by Ford dealerships using a test tool that would detect a defective front seat outboard seat belt buckle assembly.approximately one million vehicles passed the inspection test for one or both front buckles.subsequent to the recall service action, odi received 15 consumer reports alleging that a passed inspection buckle subsequently…
Frequently asked questions
Which Ford Windstar years have seat belt problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1995 (41), 1998 (28), 2001 (20), 2000 (19) and 1996 (18) model years. Seat Belt complaints make up 1% of all complaints for the 1995.
Is there a recall for Ford Windstar seat belt problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 01V227001 (buckle assembly, Jul 16, 2001); 00V228001 (seat belts, Aug 18, 2000). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Ford Windstar seat belt problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 79,000 miles; 26% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the front › buckle assembly (30 mentions), followed by the front › anchorage (28).
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.