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2016 Ford Fusion: seat belt won't latch or retract

9 of the 1,662 complaints about the 2016 Ford Fusion describe seat belt won't latch or retract.

owner complaints
9
of this car's complaints
1%
typical mileage
30,000
recalls
2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 1 service bulletin for this area of the car. See below

Seat belt won't latch or retract by model year

What owners say

Filed Jun 13, 2025 · Seat belts, Seats · AZ

Rear passenger seat belt will not release lock/tension/broken. Will not allow rear occupants to buckle in. Safety issue. Seems to happen on most 2013+ ford vehicles specifically trims like titanium with a 'inflatable belt" This issue should be recalled free of charge, It is a major safety issue not to be able to use a seatbelt. The best remedy would be inspect and replacement of broken components. Both occurred over 80k miles one being a truck (entirely different vehicle)

Filed Jul 4, 2023 · Seat belts · OK

The drivers seatbelt is stuck and will not release to allow me to buckle myself in.

Filed Mar 4, 2021 · Acceleration, Seat belts · 30,000 miles · CA

When traveling on the freeway at 60mph and I take my foot off the accelerator the transmission does not down shift or slow down. A strange sound can be heard until I press on the brakes. The rear passenger seat belt does not retract sometimes.. There is a strange sound when turning the steering wheel.

Filed Jun 12, 2020 · Seat belts · 63,000 miles · NH

Tl* the contact owns a 2016 ford fusion. The contact stated that after stopped, the driver's side seat belt failed to retract. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to portsmouth ford (400 spaulding turnpike, portsmouth, nh 03801, (603) 433-1221) where the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000.

Filed Apr 29, 2020 · Seat belts · 25,000 miles · CA

First episode: driver's seat belt locked prematurely while in motion ~35mph, no special circumstances, not braking rapidly. At next red light, I unbuckled but could not draw belt out more than a few inches. Pulled into a parking lot, opened and closed door a few times and finally got belt to pull out far enough to rebuckle and drive home. Since then, seat belt also locks intermittently after few inches of extension upon initial car entry and first buckle-in. Opening and closing door and multiple pulls eventually releases belt enough to buckle, but then it becomes slack while driving. Problem first started late feb-early march, but definitely before march 16, 2020 when santa clara county shelter-in-place order started. It has escalated since then...warming weather? I drive to my pediatric practice and the newborn unit at our local hospital 4-5 times/week despite pandemic. I'm concerned that if belt is locking inappropriately at vehicle startup and slackening during normal driving, it may fail to lock in a crash.

Filed Oct 29, 2019 · Seats · GA

My backseat is stuck down due to my middle seatbelt being locked and I cannot get it to come back up. The seatbelt is way to tight that there is not way for me to pull it back up.

Filed Dec 2, 2018 · Seat belts · 26,000 miles · CA

Driver seat belt won't retract. My driver seat belt has gotten stuck multiple times. I'd pull on it and it wouldn't retract. It would just keep rolling out but never roll back in.

Filed Apr 22, 2017 · Seat belts · 35,200 miles · AL

Driver's side seat belt keeps locking up and will not let you use the seat belt, it will work a day or two then you will go a few days with it not letting you use the seat belt because it will not come out.

Filed Dec 8, 2016 · Seat belts · 8,600 miles · KS

Seat belt on driver side is locked up, unable to buckle into car, or able to get the seat belt to move at all, this car has under 9000 miles on it, purchased less than 6 months ago. Pulling on the seat belt only made it worse, I assume it is an issue with the tensioner.

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

Seat belts: frontReported December 5, 2016 · 603,392 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured November 2, 2012, to July 31, 2014, and 2013-2015 Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured November 14, 2012, to July 31, 2014. In the event of a crash, heat from the deployment of a seat belt pretensioner may cause a front seat belt anchor cable to fail.
Risk
If the driver or front passenger seatbelt cables cannot properly restrain the front seat occupants, they would be at an increased risk of injury.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will apply a protective coating to the seat belt cable, free of charge. The recall began May 16, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S42.

Recall number 16V875000 · Recall details

Seat belts: front: anchorageReported April 27, 2016 · 39 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured from March 10, 2016, through March 16, 2016. The front driver seat track assembly's rear riser may have been improperly welded to the seat track rail, and as a result, the driver may not be adequately restrained in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 207, "Seating Systems" and 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
Risk
An improperly welded driver seat riser may fail to adequately restrain the driver during crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
Ford quarantined the affected vehicles at dealerships prior to their sale. Dealers will replace the front driver seat track rail, free of charge. The recall began on May 19, 2016. Ford's number for this recall is 16C05.

Recall number 16V250000 · Recall details

Questions about the 2016 Ford Fusion seat belt

Is seat belt won't latch or retract a common problem on the 2016 Ford Fusion?

9 of 1,662 owner complaints about the 2016 Ford Fusion (1%) mention seat belt won't latch or retract. The model year with the most reports is 2013.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2016 Ford Fusion?

There are 2 recalls and 1 service bulletin for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2016 Ford Fusion

Check engine light 270Overheating 191Engine failure 136Misfire 131Backup camera 124Stalling 93Loss of power 70Fire or smoke 60Power steering loss 54Door locks 53Jerking 44Won't shift 41Screen failure 35Won't start 33ABS 27Hesitation 27Airbag light 25Brake failure 22Transmission failure 21Steering lock-up 15Shudder 13No deployment 10Adaptive cruise 9Grinding brakes 9Fuel pump 9Harsh shifting 9Rollaway 9Wipers 8Headlights 7Slipping 7Battery drain 5Knocking 5Fuel smell 5Sudden acceleration 5Warning lights 5

All model years of the Ford Fusion

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