Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. The contact stated that the front passenger side seat belt buckle and retractor was inoperable. The seat belt warning lights was constantly illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who stated that they would replace the seat belt system. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 93,000.
2003 Ford Focus: seat belt won't latch or retract
7 of the 977 complaints about the 2003 Ford Focus describe seat belt won't latch or retract.
- owner complaints
- 7
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 60,000
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 1 service bulletin covers this area of the car. See below
Seat belt won't latch or retract by model year
What owners say
The driver side seat belt is stuck and will not move, can not put seat belt on to drive. Pulled on belt it will not budge.
I have replaced the transmission, the water pump, the thermostat, and all radiator hoses. The car overheats daily still. The stereo cuts on and off and can't be turned off by the power button. The rear left seatbelt is stuck where it can't be used. The driver window fell into the door, when the panel was removed it showed that the whole wire system had snapped. The driver door also can only be opened from the inside.
Front passenger seat belt locks against the passenger and does not allow slow gentle movement in a non-crash environment. The front driver seat belt works fine and like normal. Have been to originating dealer twice to correct - no change in operation. Safety defect as crushing load causes passenger to hold belt physically out when seated or otherwise defeating belting arrangement.
Tried to put on drivers side seat belt and found it to be locked in place. Full seat belt assembly had to be replaced out of warranty.
While traveling at 40 MPH a dog ran into the street and consumer's vehicle hit the dog. Upon impact, none of the bags deployed, and consumer sustained chest injuries. In addition, driver's side seat belt failed, it locked the driver in after the impact. However, passenger's side seat belt and rear seat belts functioned properly.
Consumer states that the second row middle seat belt buckle became unlatched when driver slammed on the brakes causing the child seat to be trhown into the back of front seat .
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2003 Ford Focus seat belt
Is seat belt won't latch or retract a common problem on the 2003 Ford Focus?
7 of 977 owner complaints about the 2003 Ford Focus (1%) mention seat belt won't latch or retract. The model year with the most reports is 2012.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Ford Focus?
There are 0 recalls and 1 service bulletin for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Ford Focus
Stalling 42Won't start 42Door locks 33Steering lock-up 28No deployment 26Grinding brakes 23Fire or smoke 13Brake failure 11Engine failure 11Coil spring 8Jerking 8Loss of power 8Premature wear 8Tire blowout 8Ball joint 7Slipping 7Won't shift 7Sudden acceleration 7Transmission failure 7Knocking 6Headlights 6Overheating 6Check engine light 5Fuel pump 5Power windows 5Water leak 5Wipers 5
VIN decoder
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