The seat belt will not latch when I insert the tongue normally. It will only click into the buckle if I hold the release button down while inserting it. This is the back seat behind the driver seat.
Ford F-150 seat belt problems
176 of the 38,399 owner complaints about the Ford F-150 describe seat belt won't latch or retract, most of them for the 2001 model year.
- owner complaints
- 176
- worst model year
- 2001
- typical repair cost reported
- $500
- typical mileage
- 63,000
By model year
Often reported together
No deployment 16Airbag light 4Door locks 3Sudden acceleration 2Stalling 2Harsh shifting 2Engine failure 2Brake failure 2
What owners say
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the seatbelt pretensioners for all seats failed, and the frontal airbags for the driver seat and front passenger seat were inoperable. The seatbelt warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with faulty seatbelt pretensioners. A dealer was contacted and informed that parts were unavailable for the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,800.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the radio was inoperable, and the audible alerts failed to operate as needed. The start-of-trip and seat belt chime failed to operate while the seat belt was unbuckled. Additionally, there was no chime while the key was in the ignition or while the door was opened. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed Audio Control Module (ACM) failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 176,792.
Seat belt sensors do not work correctly for back seat passenger. Seat doesn’t register people sitting in it or when seat belt is buckled sometimes. Issue was reported to dealer and taken for repairs u see warranty, but never completed. Causes issues when carrying passengers because i can’t tell if people are buckled. Sometimes driving down road it alerts randomly that seat belt was unbuckled and causes risk that could lead to an accident when I have to adjust it for a child while driving down the road. This is a wide spread reported issue for these trucks and should be recalled.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the contact was cut off by another vehicle that had pulled out in front of the vehicle. The contact depressed the brake pedal with force to keep from crashing into the vehicle. The contact stated that the seat belt pretensioner held firmly in place; however, the passenger's seat belt failed to restrain the passenger in the seat. The contact stated that the passenger almost crashed into the front passenger’s side dashboard. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the passenger’s side seat belt retractor and pretensioner needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V653000 (Seat Belts); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
My Teenage daughter was in a car accident and the airbags did not deploy and her seatbelt did not lock , and smashed into her steering wheel.
Well the passenger side in front seat seat belt needs replaced due to getting stuck after front airbags in dash and steering wheel after deployment from barley tapping a vehicle in front of the truck
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notifications of the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 21V653000 (SEAT BELTS), 23V509000 (PARKING BRAKE), 22V142000 (VISIBILITY) and 23V163000 (VISIBILITY). The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the parking brake independently activated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The contact turned off the vehicle and, after waiting for a short while, the vehicle was restarted. The message "Service Parking Brake" was displayed. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while turning off the vehicle, the parking brake fail to function as intended. The contact stated that recently the seat belt failed to retract and remained loose. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer refused to repair the vehicle under the Seat Belts and Parking Brake recalls. The contact stated that the recall repairs for Visibility were performed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Front seatbelts on 2002 Ford F-150 become unlatched unexpectedly while driving. This has been noticed over the last two or three years occasionally, but has been getting worse. Seat belt has become unlatched about 5-6 times during a 600 mile road trip. Seat belt was confirmed by two passengers that it was indeed latched correctly and nothing pushing the release button. Seatbelt was confirmed to be latched by firmly tugging on seat belt to witness that it was latched. Both passengers confirmed that the seatbelt become unlatched randomly while driving. Passenger and driver safety is at risk. If driver seatbelt comes unlatched while driving or during accident, the driver could loose control of truck and put other drivers at risk. The unlatching does not show any warning signs as to when it will become unlatched. Seatbelt just becomes unlatched and starts to recoil without warning. Ford service just says that the truck is out of warranty and that they dont cover seat belt replacements as there is no open recalls for such. Seatbelt is still currently installed on vehicle but can be available for inspection on vehicle or removed for inspection.
[XXX] was driving the 2014 F150 on a multi lane state road in the afternoon on a sunny and dry afternoon. The vehicle was traveling straight with steady traffic at an intense rate of speed (approximately 45-50 mph) when it all of a changed gears and became difficult for the [XXX] to control, causing the vehicle to hit a guard rail. There was no contributing factors to the accident other than the vehicle's malfunction (i.e. no negative weather, road signals, other vehicles, animal or plant obstructions, intersections, driver error, etc.). At the time of the impact, all of the vehicle's airbags deployed and the driver's seatbelt locked in place. There were no personal injuries - only property damage to the outside of the vehicle, the airbags and seatbelt. Thus far, Ford has refused to replace the airbags, seatbelt/repair the vehicle's property damage despite repeated requests. Ford only fixed the software problem associate with the recall and has taken the position that is the only remedy they are required to do. ( I will locate the police report and provide subsequently if needed) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Related recalls
Seat belts: front: webbing
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 F-150 Super Cab vehicles. The front seatbelt webbing may be incorrectly routed.
- Risk
- A misrouted seatbelt may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised to perform a preliminary self-inspection of the front seatbelts. If the passenger-side seatbelt fails inspection, owners should not use the passenger seat until the repair is performed. If the driver-side seatbelt fails inspection, owners should not drive their vehicle until the repair is performed. Dealers will inspect the front seatbelts and, if the webbing is misrouted, will replace the seatbelt retractor and pretensioner, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 14, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C20.
Recall number 21V653000 · Recall details
Seat belts: pretensioner
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford F-150 Regular Cab and SuperCrew Cab vehicles. If a front seat belt pretensioner deploys as the result of a crash, the sparks may ignite materials such as carpeting or insulation within the B-pillar area.
- Risk
- A vehicle fire could result if materials ignite inside the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove the B-pillar insulation material and wiring harness tape, and install heat resistant tape, free of charge. The recall began September 28, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S27.
Recall number 18V568000 · Recall details
Seat belts: rear/other
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 F-150, and 2017 F-250 and F-350 trucks equipped with a crew cab. The left rear inflatable seat belt buckle assembly may be inadequately attached to its mounting bracket. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
- Risk
- If the left rear inflatable seat belt buckle separates from it's mounting bracket, the seat occupant may not be adequately restrained, increasing their risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat belt assembly, replacing the attaching rivet as necessary, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed October 18, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy becomes available. Owners may contact Ford Customer Service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17C12.
Recall number 17V526000 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: anchorage
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015 Ford F-150 SuperCrew trucks manufactured January 22, 2015, to March 17, 2015. The affected vehicles may be equipped with driver or front passenger seat belt anchorage assemblies whose pretensioner cable was not properly crimped. As a result, the seat belts may not properly restrain the seat occupant in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies" and 210, " Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
- Risk
- An occupant that is not be properly restrained is at an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver and/or front passenger side seat belt retractor(s) and pretensioner(s), free of charge. The recall began on February 12, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15C17.
Recall number 15V867000 · Recall details
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
Seat belts
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and mini vans equipped with trw seat belt buckle assemblies. The buckle base of these seat belt assemblies were not properly heat treated and therefore do not pass the load bearing requirement of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, "seat belt assemblies."
- Risk
- In the event of a vehicle crash, the occupant may not be properly restrained.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the date code on certain seat belt buckles of your vehicle and replace all seat belt buckles that fall within the suspect date code range. Owner notification began october 26, 2000. 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 1‑800‑392‑3673.
Recall number 00V228001 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: anchorage
- What is wrong
- The seat elt anchorage attachments are missing or misinstalled on these vehicles.
- Risk
- A loose fastener can eventually detach and would not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a vehicle accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and, as necessary, repair the seat belt anchorage attachments.
Recall number 96V256000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford F-150 seat belt
Which Ford F-150 years have seat belt won't latch or retract problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2001 (37 complaints), 2002 (21 complaints) and 1997 (12 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix seat belt won't latch or retract on the Ford F-150?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $500 (median of 6 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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