The seat belt quit locking in place shortly after I purchased the truck
2001 Ford F-150: seat belt won't latch or retract
37 of the 1,236 complaints about the 2001 Ford F-150 describe seat belt won't latch or retract.
- owner complaints
- 37
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- typical mileage
- 65,200
- recalls
- 2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 2 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Seat belt won't latch or retract by model year
What owners say
My drivers seat belt buckle does not work properly.
Front passenger seat belt will not lock. Was on a trip, arrived at destination, went to leave and the front passenger seat belt would not buckle. Still won't buckle. I am concerned, what if the drivers side buckle fails while I'm driving it? I did read of some others failing.
Driver's side seat belt buckle becomes disconnected for no reason and no indication on the dash.
Driver seat belt will not retract or extend belt cannot be buckled. Sometimes if I speed up to around 30 MPH belt will release but hard to buckle while driving.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford f-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the front driver side safety belt unlatched as the seat belt warning indicator illuminated continuously. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. ...updated 02/08/16 *bf
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford f-150. The contact stated that the front driver side seat belt unlatched independently while driving. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the seat belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed that the vehicle was previously repaired under the federal safety agency campaign number 01v227000 (seat belts). The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford f-150. The contact stated that the driver side seat belt failed to latch. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford f-150. The contact stated that both the front driver and passenger side seatbelt buckles would unlatch independently. The vehicle was repaired under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 01v227001 (seat belts) in 2001. The failure recurred recently. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 96,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford f-150. The contact stated that the front driver's seat belt would not attach into its buckle. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The contact also stated that the rear windshield was leaking. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures and informed the contact that there were no recalls addressing the failures. The failure mileage was 115,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford f150. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the front passenger seat belt buckle released and failed to close in a secured position. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated the seat belt assembly would need to be replaced due to a defective spring in the seat belt buckle. The vehicle had been previously repaired for the same failure in july of 2003 under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 01v227001 (seat belts: front: buckle assembly). The failure recurred but the part needed for repairs was unavailable. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 78,000.
Two of the seat belt buckles in the rear have failed. The literally fell apart and when reassembled, no longer work properly in that they fail to latch. This is a different failure mode than my driver seat buckle that had false latching and was the subject of a recall for some vins (not mine).
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Seat belts: front: buckle assembly
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger and sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and minivans. Equipped with seat belts supplied by trw. It is possible that the driver's and/or front passenger's outboard seat belt buckle may not fully latch. Ford crown victoria built at st. Thomas assembly plant from 4/17/00 - 5/29/01 mercury grand marquis built at st. Thomas assembly plant from 4/17/00 - 5/29/01. Lincoln town cars built at wixom assembly plant from 3/27/00 - 5/30/01. Lincoln navigators built at michigan truck plant from 4/11/00 - 5/31/01. Ford windstars built at oakville assembly plant from 3/23/00 - 5/30/01. Ford rangers built at twin cities plant from 3/28/00 - 5/30/01, and also at the edison plant from 3/13/00 - 5/25/01. Ford f-150 truck built at norfolk plant from 4/18/00 - 5/25/00; at ontario plant from 5/10/00 - 5/28/01; at kansas city plant from 9/11/99 - 5/25/01; and at cuautitlan plant from 5/16/00 - 6/9/01. Ford super duty f-250, f-350, f-450, and f-550 trucks built at kentucky plant from 4/17/00 - 5/27/01; and at cuautitlan plant from 5/16/00 - 6/19/01. Ford excursions built at kentucky plant from 4/17/00 - 10/2/00. Ford expeditions built at michigan truck plant from 4/11/00 - 5/31/01.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, the restraint system may not provide adequate occupant protection, increasing the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the front outboard seat belt buckles and if the buckle fails the inspection process, it will be replaced. Owner notification began july 25, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332.
Recall number 01V227001 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: retractor
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: regular cab pickup trucks. The driver side seat belt retractor may not fully retract the belt.
- Risk
- This could cause slack in the seat belt when worn, increasing the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant, in the event of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the driver's side seat belt assembly.
Recall number 00V348000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2001 Ford F-150 seat belt
Is seat belt won't latch or retract a common problem on the 2001 Ford F-150?
37 of 1,236 owner complaints about the 2001 Ford F-150 (3%) mention seat belt won't latch or retract. The model year with the most reports is 2001.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2001 Ford F-150?
There are 2 recalls and 2 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2001 Ford F-150
Fire or smoke 216Adaptive cruise 81Tire blowout 41No deployment 33Ball joint 24Fuel leak 21ABS 17Engine failure 17Knocking 17Loss of power 15Wipers 15Stalling 13Brake failure 12Check engine light 10Headlights 10Transmission failure 10Grinding brakes 9Door locks 9Fuel smell 9Misfire 8Jerking 7Sudden acceleration 7Fuel pump 6Hesitation 6Won't shift 6Airbag light 5Harsh shifting 5Power steering loss 5Slipping 5
VIN decoder
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