Ref: odi id number : 10016221. I have the same problem with my 2003 explorer as the referenced problem. When I get out of the driver's seat, the seat belt does not fully retract. Unless I physically "throw" the excess back into the vehicle, the door gets shut on the belt. I had to have the plastic button on the belt replaced because the door broke the original one.
2003 Ford Explorer seat belts complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 17 of 17, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The front driver's seat belt will not retract back, and the seat belt would be to loose for the consumer to wear. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
Numerous problem: brakes, rear window opening, seat belt retraction, heater, rear defrost, body work, etc.. *ph while braking the brake pedal went to the floor and caused extended stopping distance. The rear window hinge failed which caused the window to open while the consumer went through a car wash. The seat belt retracted slowly which caused the belt to become hooked onto the door lock system. As a result the passenger could not get out of the vehicle. The left wiper was not clearing the windshield. The left rear door would not close all the way unless it was slammed hard.
When the front seat belt was used it would slip out of the pillar molding. When this happened the seat belt cut into the molding and frayed the webbing. The molding and the belt have been replaced twice and need to be replaced again.
Driver's side front seat belt did not not retract. Consumer took vehicle to dealer for inspection, and mechanic replaced the seat belt twice already due to worn out parts.
Re: second (mid-section) seat - driver's side 1. Seat belt became lodged behind seat release causing back of seat to jerk forward and strike my child in back of neck. 2. Facts: a) when my daughter (12 years; 89 lbs.) leaned forward in her seat, pressure was placed on seat belt causing release to engage and jerk forward; b) my daughter was still in seat belt when I pulled off the side of road to check on her; c) I was repeatedly unable to get the back of her seat to "lock in" place; d) upon further investigation, I found seat belt to be lodged securely behind seat release and each time my daughter moved forward and placed pressure on seat belt, the release was engaged; e) this incident wasn't the result of an accident; e) brakes weren't being used at time; f) she was seen in emergency room due to pain in her neck. Back and head; she was diagnosed with a cervical strain and had to wear a neck collar for five days. 3. Contributing reasons for occurrence: a) seat belt is secured to side of vehicle; b) when a person gets into third row seat, it's easy to get caught on the seat belt causing it to hang behind seat release; (c) if seat belt doesn't retract properly, it catches behind seat release; d) it can also catch on front of release. 4. Additional concerns: a) second seat release is a two step release: if this was a situation where the brakes had to be applied quickly and firmly, second part of release could have potentially engaged causing my daughter to be struck from behind and throwing her forward causing her to strike the front of her head on the back of the driver's seat which impact could have quite likely caused me to lose control of the vehicle. 5. This is a very serious situation which could cause catastrophic results if not corrected in all explorers equipped with this type of seat belt and seating arrangement. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to a response in this regard.
The seat belts do not fully retract causing the seat belt to jam the door locking mechanism, resulting in the door not closing properly and opening at any given time!
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2003 Ford Explorer?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history