The driver's side seat belt comes unbuckled without the latch being touched while driving. This results in an unsafe situation where the seat belt isn't providing any safety and it also requires two hands to re-buckle it taking my hands off the steering wheel. This happens while driving in my driveway, on city streets and highways. The problem has been happening soon after I bought the truck used on november 10, 2004.
2001 Ford F-250 SD seat belts problems
14 complaints (5% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 128,000.
- owner complaints
- 14
- of this car's complaints
- 5%
- typical mileage
- 128,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Front: buckle assembly7
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Ford F-250 SD seat belts problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2001 Ford F-250 SD seat belts
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Front seat belt buckle assembly
During the initial recall campaign in 2001, the subject vehicles were inspected by ford dealerships using a test tool that would detect a defective front seat outboard seat belt buckle assembly.approximately one million vehicles passed the inspection test for one or both front buckles.subsequent to the recall service action, odi received 15 consumer reports alleging that a passed inspection buckle subsequently failed to latch or inadvertently unlatched during use.in addition, ford has identified 543 owner and field reports alleging buckle failure subsequent to passing the inspection test.ford tested and examined over 100 warranty-returned buckles and found that 44% of the buckles had no problem or a condition not related to the recall inspection (non-latch related buckle damage or foreign contamination).warranty claims were highest during the 18-month period after the start of the recall (july 2001) and have been declining during the past 24 months.over the past 12 months, ford has received approximately 12 warranty claims per month out of a vehicle population of about one million.complaints counts are also decreasing.during the past seven months, odi has received only two complaints. A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
EA05004
Front seat belt buckle assembly
Under recall campaign (01v227), ford recalled approximately 1.3 million vehicles to inspect and if necessary replace the front driver and/or passenger seat belt buckle.approximately 1.1 million owners responded by taking their vehicles to a dealer for inspection of the buckle using a specialized buckle test tool.ford reported that 829,927 vehicles had both buckles pass the tool test and another 167,336 vehicles had one buckle pass.odi and ford received complaints alleging seat belt buckle failure shortly after passing the original recall inspection service.complainants alleged that the buckle failed by either not latching or false-latching (partial engagement of the latch to the latch plate).a false-latched buckle may release with minor movement or impact against the buckle housing including inadvertent release while the vehicle is in motion.odi is upgrading this recall query to an engineering analysis (ea05-004) to further analyze the field performance of those vehicles that ford dealers passed (one or both buckles) using ford's inspection test (997,263 vehicles).
RQ04011
What 2001 Ford F-250 SD owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
For about 7 months, my son has been driving the 2001 f250 sd under normal driving conditions. There have been many instances where the driver's side front seat belt has unlatched on its own. It has also happened to me while driving. The truck was taken back to ford dealership on 3/7/03 under recall 01s21 seatbelt. "buckles were inspected, ok as per 01s21, no repairs needed." we were charged $27.16 for the inspection. Took the truck back to dealership today (5.27.15). They have no advice for us. There are many open complaints for this problem. Please do something about this before someone gets killed. I've seen the reports of many injuries already.
Rear seat belt buckle has broken latching mechanism within female buckle. This item is not available from the manufacturer. Seat belt not available from the manufacturer on a 14 year old vehicle ?
Driver seat belt comes unlatched for no apparent reason. There was a recall on these seat belts, but my VIN was not covered by the recall.
Driver seatbelt unlatches unexpectedly. There doesn't seem to be any particular cause for the latching failure.
At various times, the driver's side seat belt buckle will release causing the belt to become loose. It happens at all speeds and usually will happen multiple times during a trip or not at all. I have never had it happen on the passenger's side seat belt.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford f250 sd. The contact stated that while driving various speeds, he detected that the front passenger seat belt would not remain secured in the locking mechanism. When the seat belt was in use by an occupant the failure would occur. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000. Updated 01/13/11*lj updated 01/31/11.
Tl*- the contact stated that the 2001 ford 250 diese had problems with the front passenger seat belt locking and staying locked. The contact stated that once locked in seat and while driving the seat belt unlocked on its own. The contact took the vehicle to a ford dealership in february 2007, and the dealership replaced the seat belt latch.
Tl* - the contact stated that the front driver's seat belt did not latch properly on 2001 ford f250. The seat belt will latch, but after a few minutes it will release itself from the latch. The contact has recently noticed the problem with the seat belt because she just started driving the vehicle on 12/19/06. The vehicle currently has 100,000 miles. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer, and was told the seat belt was involved in a recall campaign 01v227002. The rear left seat belt was repaired during the recall. The front driver's seat belt was not replaced because it was inspected and found to be working properly. The contact was told by the dealer that the recall campaign was now closed and they will not repair the seat belt free of charge. *ak updated 2/16/2007 -
Dt*: the contact stated the front center seat belt loosened and failed to stay tight. If the belt is pulled it will tighten, but it has too much play and may not accurately hold the passenger in the event of an accident. The buckle will not come undone. The service dealer replaced the seat belt three times and the dealer claims the belt worked even though it is loose and the dealer will not change it anymore. This has been an issue since the vehicle was first acquired when it was new. Updated 9/27/2006 -
Questions about the 2001 Ford F-250 SD seat belts
Does the 2001 Ford F-250 SD have seat belts problems?
Owners have filed 14 complaints about the seat belts of the 2001 Ford F-250 SD, 5% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2001 Ford F-250 SD seat belts problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 128,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2001 Ford F-250 SD seat belts?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
Other 2001 Ford F-250 SD problems
Engine 99Transmission 45Electrical 39Tires 39Steering 21Acceleration 11Brakes 11Suspension 10Fuel system 7Wheels 6Airbags 4Body 4Visibility 4Locks 2Seats 2
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2001 Ford F-250 SD?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history