The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that her mother observed that the driver's seat belt failed to retract properly over time and failed to secure the driver as intended. The contact stated that the seat belt was very loose. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
2014 Ford Escape: seat belt won't latch or retract
15 of the 2,091 complaints about the 2014 Ford Escape describe seat belt won't latch or retract.
- owner complaints
- 15
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 55,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 1 service bulletin for this area of the car. See below
Seat belt won't latch or retract by model year
What owners say
the drivers seatbelt does not retract. The seatbelt is extended all the way loose in your lap. In an accident i don’t think it would work at all. Something is broken inside that doesn’t allow it to retract on its own at all.
Drivers side seat belt retractor or pretensioner does not work. You have to physically push the seat belt back into place. I feel if I were to get in an accident the seat belt would not help me. The vehicle only has 65,400 miles on it. I feel this is unacceptable and Ford should fix this as a safety issue. The dealer gave a estimate to fix this problem and I believe their estimate is unacceptable at $535 for parts and labor.
The middle rear seat belt latch dropped below the fold down seat when it was folded down. This made fastening the seat belt impossible. The latch is inaccessible. Cannot bring it back up without completely removing the seat.
My seat belt buckles in the back seat are hard to buckle sometimes wont buckle and a few times the locking mechanism disengages and the seat belt will unfasten while in use. The seat belt has come unfastened three times while driving since march 2019
When you fold the rear seats forward on this vehicle the seat belt buckles can fall below the seats, then when you raise the seats back up the seat belt buckles stay below the seats and the plastic receiver ends get crushed and are unusable. We currently have one rear seat belt buckle that is stuck under the seat and it cannot be accessed without unbolting the seat. I was able to pull another buckle up from below the seat but the buckle is bent and unusable. This happens while the vehicle is stationary.
Driver's side seat belt failed to retract. Dealer said pre-tensioner device was defective. Car has never been in an accident. The consumer requested to be reimbursed for the cost of repairs.
Tl* the contact owned a 2014 ford escape. While driving 20-25 MPH, a vehicle cut in front of the contact's vehicle. As a result, the contact crashed into the front quarter panel of the other vehicle. The seat belt failed to retract and the driver's side door air bag failed to deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the shoulder and hand, which required medical attention. The passenger was not injured. The vehicle was towed to an independent lot and deemed destroyed by the insurance company. A police report was filed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted and did not assist. The failure mileage was 99,000. *bf consumer also stated driver side airbag and seat belt failed. Consumer 's right side hit against seat belt buckle, causing her to severly bruise with injury. 'parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).'
The rear seat belt buckles are stuck underneath the seats. I was able to force one up by reaching my arm underneath but the plastic is bent up and the latch does not push in making it inoperable. It appears there is metal piece on the edge of the seat cushion that keeps the seat belt buckles from coming up to top side of seat where they would be accessible to passengers. I am not sure if this problem was like this when I purchased the vehicle or if it occurred when the seats were folded down at some point. I only discovered it when a family member was riding in back seat and was unable to find the seat belt latches.
Vehicle was parked and when putting the rear seat down it caused the seat belt buckles to get stuck under the seat cushions with no way to get them out. Now the seat belts in the rear passenger seats cannot be used safely as there is no way to buckle passengers in with the buckle stuck under the seats. This to me is a safety risk and flaw in the design as there should be no way for the seat buckle to become stuck under the seat cushion especially not on a vehicle with under 40,000 miles.
Seatbelt does not retract. Once pulled out seatbelt hangs out of door and does not pull back in to retractor.
After folding the back seat forward in down position, the seat belt latches are now stuck under the seats. You can't get them back out without unbolting the seat. So now no one can ride in the back if they are to be belted in for their safety.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Seat belts
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford C-Max vehicles manufactured January 19, 2012, to November 21, 2013; Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured February 3, 2012, to August 24, 2013; Ford Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, to November 1, 2013; and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured April 25, 2012, to September 30, 2013. The coating on portions of the Restraint Control Module (RCM) may crack, and when exposed to humidity, circuits on the printed circuit board may short.
- Risk
- The short circuits could cause the frontal air bags, side curtain air bags and the seat belt pretensioners to not function as intended when needed, increasing the risk of occupant injury in the event of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RCM, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. The recall began on May 26,2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S21.
Recall number 14V597000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2014 Ford Escape seat belt
Is seat belt won't latch or retract a common problem on the 2014 Ford Escape?
15 of 2,091 owner complaints about the 2014 Ford Escape (1%) mention seat belt won't latch or retract. The model year with the most reports is 2013.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2014 Ford Escape?
There is 1 recall and 1 service bulletin for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2014 Ford Escape
Overheating 351Check engine light 244Stalling 205Engine failure 128Fire or smoke 128Transmission failure 128Backup camera 87Loss of power 83Jerking 72Won't shift 61Power steering loss 58Misfire 54Hesitation 47Door locks 46Fuel pump 34Slipping 29Won't start 26Harsh shifting 23Screen failure 22Steering lock-up 19Wipers 16No deployment 15Fuel smell 14ABS 13Grinding brakes 13Sudden acceleration 13Whining noise 13Knocking 12Headlights 12Shudder 10Tire blowout 9Adaptive cruise 8Brake failure 8Warning lights 6Battery drain 5Pulling 5
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