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 1995 Mercury Villager owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Consumer's vehicle was hit from rear while stopping, and collided with vehicle in front. Lap belt for last benched seat came loose during the accident. Belt was restraining a css that was tethered. Child sustained minor injuries.
The paint is cracked on the hood, unknown what month, about 1997. We never had it fixed. Drivers door seatbelt stays in the running position, it won't move forward, but it makes a loud motor noise, unknown what month, since about 1999. We never had it fixed. The seat belt on the right next to the middle seat fell off. We told the dealer. They ordered one. We went back about a month later they said it was too late to fix it. The transmission went out in about May of 1998, at about 120,000 miles. We had it rebuilt. It went out again about a yr later. We can't afford to have it rebuilt again right now. So it sits. In jul or aug of 1998, the motor went out. We were driving down the highway, and it started knocking, then quit. Also on christmas eve of 1997, we were going down the road and the thing sounded like all the rods were knocking. The temp gauge said it was over heating. …
I own a 1995 Mercury Villager. The front passenger side seat belt became un-operational in March 2001. I contacted my dealer and Mercury at the time, neither was of any help and showed no concern. I paid $121 out of pocket to replace the part. Now, in February of 2003 the same locations seat belt is un-operational again. I contacted my dealer who told me to call Mercury. They will not help cover a part that is more than 12 months old. We were told over and over that it's their policy. I have owned about 6 vehicles in my years of driving, this has never happened to me before. A defective seat belt should be at the bottom of my list of concerns regarding my automobiles. The seat belt on this passenger seat is used the least in the van because I require my child to sit in the middle row of my van and 90% of the time my wife or I are transporting ourselves alone or one of us with our child. …
1) heater: almost caused elec. Fire, stopped working, now needs motor replaced; 2) ABS failed on snowy roads causing single-vehicle accident to front left of vehicle; 3) recall on fuel vent hose, will replace; 4) front rt. Lap belt will not pull out (stuck) needs repair/replaced; 5) oil filter's very very low location on undercarriage front, caused damage to filter, all oil spilled out while operating vehicle pulling out of driveway, ran over snow left by road commission plow, caused damage to rod bearings, and engine, vehicle currently out of commission awaiting repairs, $500 collission deductible.
Driver's automatic seat belt failed to function as it was designed. Seat belt had to be manually placed in the release and retract position. The seat belt motor made a grinding noise when this occurred.
Front passenger lap seat belt would not lock into the belt buckle. The consumer was only able to wear the automatic shoulder seat belt. Dealership was notified, but was unable to resolve the problem.
Front passenger's side lap seat belt would not release from its holster. Dealership indicated that the seat belt was defective. The entire seat belt assembly was replaced, but the problem recurred.
In mid to late 1995 my mother-in-law purchased this vehicle and later gave the auto to my wife and I. This vehicle has retractable shoulder belts. Several times, for no apparent reason the shoulder belt has quit working. I took the vehicle to babb Ford in mid 2000. (June, I believe) on May 27,2001 I returned the auto to babb Ford again for the same problem. I showed them my receipt from the year before and stated that I wasn't paying for another inertia switch that had been replaced the summer before. The mechanic "tinkered" with the wiring and found that when he disconnected a wire at the inertia switch, the system worked and it has not faltered since. He and/or the service manager contacted Ford/Mercury and explained the situation to them and they were told that the situation could not happen. I'm here to tell you it did. …
The automatic seat belts stopped working on the driver side and passenger side. Vehicle will be taken to the dealer on 7/16/2003. It was possible that the seat belt modules had gone bad. The dealer didn't have the part so the consumer had started back traveling, and two days into the trip the seat belts started to work again.
Drivers seatbelt has stopped working for the 3rd time, it was replaced in February and April of 2001, it was replaced twice in May 2001 and is being replaced again at this time. Burned out motor is the cause. Consumer states check engine light comes on at time when driving but does not stay on and molding on driver side is loose.
Seat Belt complaints in other Villager years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat belt problems on the 1995 Mercury Villager?
NHTSA has 42 complaints about the seat belts of the 1995 Mercury Villager, 11% of the model year's 367 complaints. The component named most often is front › retractor (10 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1995 Mercury Villager seat belt problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seat belts recall for the 1995 Mercury Villager, though it has 3 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 1995 Mercury Villager seat belt problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 6 injuries and 1 death 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.