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 Mercury Sable owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 35mph, the vehicle was involved in a front impact collision and the airbags did not deploy. Although both occupants were wearing seatbelts, the buckle assembly did not lock resulting in forward motion, which caused the occupants to strike the dash panel area. Minor injuries were sustained. The vehicle had moderate damage. The police were on the scene and a report was taken. The vehicle was not seen by a dealer.
Seat belt retractors are failing in order of most frequent use (e.g. Driver, front passenger, rear passengers). The driver's belt retractor fails to pull the seat belt back into the columnar storage area 100% of the time (front passenger belt 50% and rear passengers ~10%). This presents a safety hazard as the belts will not provide the life saving tension required during an accident. The belt hangs limp over the wearer. Seat belts are required to be worn by law. Yet, auto manufacturers are not required to warranty these parts for the life of the car. The great majority of manufacturers only warrant seat belts for 3 years or 36000 miles. As consumers, are we to believe that this means manufacturers only expect the seat belts to function during this time period. …
The rear seat belts shoulder belts do not retract at all. This is a serious safety problem. After talking to dealership the warranty is only for 5 years 50000 miles. So is Ford saying that after this warranty is up on my 1999 Sable that my families life is worthless.. All seat belts should be warranted for the life of the car, not 5 years 50000 miles..shouldn't all satey related equipment in vehicles be warranted for life? There was a recall for the front shoulder belts on this vehicle. There should be a recall for the rear seatbelts also. They both have stopped working at the same time and that should say something is wrong with them. These seatbelts have not been abused or wear and tear is a bad call on this one.. This car is only is only 5 years old and wear and tear does not play into this at all..this problem should be looked into..
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that while attempting to operate the vehicle she noticed the front passenger side seat belt was stuck in the anchorage and would not pull out or retract. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number: 99V250000 (seat belts: front: anchorage). The vehicle was not serviced for the failure. The failure and current mileages were 98,000. Updated 10/27/10.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that the passenger seat belt does not retract or properly secure the passenger. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in (NHTSA campaign id number: 99V250000 seat belts: front: anchorage); the vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000. The current mileage was not available.
The drivers side seat belt on my 99 Mercury Sable does not latch and lock all the time. It goes in and acts like it latches (seat belt light goes out) until a fair amount of force is applied to the seat belt and it release's from the seat belt latch. I've had this happen multitudes of times even thought I try and remember to double check that the seat belt is secure.
Rear passenger seat belt restraints do not work. It is not possible to extend the seat belt across the lap and shoulder of the passenger. Thus it is unsafe for all passengers riding in the rear of the vehicle, and prevents proper installation of any and all child safety seats.
Rear right passenger seat belt did not retract. Dealer stated the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA recall 99v25000. Also, rack and pinion steering had to be replaced because of a seal leak.
Front driver side seat belt was installed backwards. As a result seat belt twisted across the driver's chest instead of lying flat. Dealership refused to repair defect due to warranty issues.
I purchased the used vehicle April 03. Early August, I went out to lunch with a friend-when he attempted to put on the vehicle seat belt in the front passenger seat it would not work. We drove his car instead. I thought it was a fluke. I decided to check the internet and located this problem as a manufacturer recall and figured it would be no problem for the dealer to take care of it. This problem continued to happen but because of my work schedule I was unable to get the vehicle to the dealer because of the hours of the service department. From August to date no one has been able to ride in the front seat. I was on vacation and I contacted the dealer to schedule a service appointment. I took the car in on 12/30/03 and was told that I needed to pay a $75 diagnostic fee as no information came up for this vehicle indicating a recall or a warranty. …
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 Sable years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat belt problems on the 1999 Mercury Sable?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the seat belts of the 1999 Mercury Sable, 8% of the model year's 258 complaints. The component named most often is front › retractor (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Mercury Sable 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 Mercury Sable seat belt problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 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.