The automatic seat belt in my 1996 ford escort failed to move several times upon opening the door. On one occasion when it failed to release I went to get up under it when it moved forward dragging me with it and injuring my neck.
1996 Ford Escort: seat belt won't latch or retract
19 of the 205 complaints about the 1996 Ford Escort describe seat belt won't latch or retract.
- owner complaints
- 19
- of this car's complaints
- 9%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 4 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Seat belt won't latch or retract by model year
What owners say
Driver's side seat belt retracter does not retract.
We are the owners of a 1996 ford escort wagon VIN: [xxx]. We have been the only owners of this vehicle. We are writing to complain about the failure of the lap shoulder safety belts in the rear seat on both sides. Both of the rear lap shoulder belt retractor mechanisms have failed within a short time of each other. This means the seat belts will no longer retract or pull tight when someone tries to use the rear seat belts. The reason we feel compelled to complain about this failure is that until around 9 months ago, we rarely (a handful of times at the most) used the rear lap shoulder seat belts. In august 2004 we switched our son's car seat over to a booster seat, moved the seat from the middle to the driver's side and started using the lap shoulder safety belt. In early november we were forced to move our son's booster seat to the passenger side because the driver's side belt failed to retract and was unusable. Today we were driving home in our car when we heard a loud metallic noise from the rear of the car, and we noticed that there was something wrong with our son's lap shoulder seat belt. When we stopped to see what the problem was we discovered that the same thing that happened to the driver's side lap shoulder seat belt had happened to the passenger side one as well. So, in the nine months since we switched over to the two point system on our son's booster seat, where the seat belt was regularly deployed and retracted, the retractor mechanism has broken on both sides. This seems like a suspiciously concurrent event. We believe the retractor mechanisms on the rear seat belts were either defective or were installed incorrectly when our car was built. Both mechanism broke while the seat belt was on our son, not while we were putting on the seat belt. The seat belt was already buckled and in place when they failed. *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
Driver's side seat belt retractor failure at approximately 86,000 miles. System failure creates a safety hazard in event of crash.
Front seat belt retractor failed.consumer stated that she owned a another ford escort of a different year and the seat belts failed.
Rear seat belt retractor failed. There was no upper body restraint for passengers.
Both rear seatbelt retractors no longer work, parts were replaced in july 1997.
Seatbelt retractor is broken . Dealer was notified.
While driving, drivers seat belt broke, causing seat belt to become inoperable. Also seat belt sensors are not properly engaging. *ak
Driver's seat belt does not fully extend from retracting mechanism, cause unknown. Please give any further details.
Speedometer jumps erratically at speeds above 50 MPH. Not covered under extended warranty although brochure leads you to believe so. Dealership knew it was the speedometer itself and not a dry cable because of history of same problems. 2nd problem; at appox 80,000 miles the drivers side rear seat belt would not retract. I recognize that things do break, but when the passenger side rear seat belt wouldn't retract just a few months later, I came to the conclusion that there is a design defect.
When making a sudden stop seat belt would not lock up. Please provide further information.
Service bulletins that may apply
- This bulletin provides revised passive restraint system information contained in the workshop manual and...
- Subject regarding passive restraint system service information
- Brief information on passive restraint (motorized seatbelt) systems
- Engineering is reviewing passive restraint (motorized seatbelt) systems in certain vehicles
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1996 Ford Escort seat belt
Is seat belt won't latch or retract a common problem on the 1996 Ford Escort?
19 of 205 owner complaints about the 1996 Ford Escort (9%) mention seat belt won't latch or retract. The model year with the most reports is 1995.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1996 Ford Escort?
There are 0 recalls and 4 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1996 Ford Escort
Check engine light 9Coil spring 7Engine failure 7Stalling 7Brake failure 5
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