Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. The contact stated that the seatbelt would not latch on the driver's side. A mechanic inspected the seat belt and stated that the latch components were defective. The manufacturer stated that her VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number 01v227001 (seat belts:front:buckle assembly). The current and failure mileages were approximately 141,000.
2001 Ford Windstar: seat belt won't latch or retract
8 of the 1,686 complaints about the 2001 Ford Windstar describe seat belt won't latch or retract.
- owner complaints
- 8
- of this car's complaints
- 0%
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 4 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Seat belt won't latch or retract by model year
What owners say
Dt*: the contact rear ended another vehicle at 25 MPH. Upon impact the passenger's air bag deployed but the driver's air bag did not. There was no occupant in the passenger seat. The driver sustained minor injuries as a result of the air bag not deploying. The contact was wearing a seat belt. Extensive damage was sustained to the right side of the vehicle. The police were contacted and a report was taken. The vehicle was seen by an independent repair shop for the body damage. The mechanic suggested replacing the left front seat belt retractor because the seat belt would not retract properly after the accident. They did not inspect the air bags. Updated 3/17/2006 - the consumer didn't have the funds to repair the airbag so the technician at the body shop removed the driver's side air bag fuse.
On 11/20/05 at approximately 10:00 p.m. A deer ran in front of my van. The impact was on the drivers front left at the headlight section of the vehicle. Minor damage was done to the vehicle but the incident caused injury to my wife. The drivers airbag didn't deploy but the passengers did. This caused the airbag to break my wife's wrist in 2 places. At the same time the drivers seat belt locked but the passengers didn't causing my wife to go forward. Both of us were wearing our seat belts. This seems to me that there was some kind of defect in the system since everything happened backwards. At this time nothing has been done to the van but ford customer affairs is suppose to be contacting me.
Front passenger seat belt comes undone. This is an intermittent problem with the seat belt that we have been having and notified our ford dealer (winner ford, cherry hill, nj) about on our 25000 service. The service rep tested the seat belt latch with a tester and found no problems. I was told they would not replace the seat belt latch because ford would charge them for the part. He said they would check it again if we had any more problems. We continue to have problems with the belt latch coming undone while driving. There is no amount of tugging that will cause it to fail, the problem is intermittent. Winner ford has not sent out our service sheet with the seat belt problem reported on it. It has been since 4/17/2003, and then again servicing on 4/24/2003 and no paperwork from the dealer with the problem reported by me and no remedy for this potentially dangerous safety problem. *jb rq04011.
I was in a car accident. After I slammed on the brakes, the seat belt popped off. I hit the steering wheel. The passenger air bag deployed but the driver's side air bag did not deploy. Although the car was drivable, the seat belt remained locked and unusable after the accident. *nlm rq04011.
While in motion, vehicle suffered a blowout. The consumer is seeking reimbursement for charges incurred for the blown tire. *jg the consumer found that the seat belt buckle inoperative. (recall#01v227001) the tire had less than one thousand miles when the incident occurred. *scc rq04011.
While the consumer was driving at 35 MPH hit another vehicle. During the accident the driver side air bag failed to deploy. Also, the seat belt failed. Due to this accident the consumer bruised her sternum and hurt her back.
Driver rear bench seat belt buckle would not latch properly. Dealer was not notified at this time. *ak
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
Questions about the 2001 Ford Windstar seat belt
Is seat belt won't latch or retract a common problem on the 2001 Ford Windstar?
8 of 1,686 owner complaints about the 2001 Ford Windstar (0%) mention seat belt won't latch or retract. The model year with the most reports is 1995.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2001 Ford Windstar?
There is 1 recall and 4 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2001 Ford Windstar
ABS 576Adaptive cruise 98Ball joint 62Fire or smoke 62Check engine light 47Grinding brakes 46Brake failure 42Stalling 23Harsh shifting 21Wipers 21No deployment 19Transmission failure 18Airbag light 16Coil spring 16Door locks 16Power steering loss 16Jerking 14Tire blowout 14Knocking 13Overheating 11Engine failure 10Headlights 9Steering noise 8Sudden acceleration 8Fuel pump 6Loss of power 6Power windows 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2001 Ford Windstar?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history