The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that after securely latching the seat belt, the driver's side front and passenger's side front seat belt buckles unintendedly unlatched. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 01V227001 (Seat Belts). The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case, but no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Mercury Grand Marquis seat belt problems
47 of the 3,703 owner complaints about the Mercury Grand Marquis describe seat belt won't latch or retract, most of them for the 2001 model year.
- owner complaints
- 47
- worst model year
- 2001
- typical mileage
- 67,000
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Airbag light 12No deployment 4Power steering loss 1Loss of power 1Headlights 1
What owners say
Driver and Passenger side seat belt pretensioners failed and have resulted in airbags being inoperable.
Around 12 years ago, when my 2006 Marquis, which I purchased brand new, had only approximately 40,000 miles on it, the seatbelt-airbag system warning appeared on the instrument panel and a warning bell sound went off with a 3 beep then 2 beeps/ring tone that would sound whenever the vehicle was started for the next two minutes of driving. It would then stop but the yellow warning icon stays on. On a trip, while driving, it will do this every hour or so or 60 miles of driving, and has done this ever since. (I'm retired and drive very little, my vehicle as of today (5-13-2022) has only 54,462 actual miles on it.) I did some research when it first occurred and learned that the 3 - 2 beeps is a "code 32, seat belt pre-tensioner failure warning and will need immediate service and replacement." So I then called Ford and explained it as above. They told me that it is not their problem and are not acknowledging any responsibility and it will be up to me to see a dealer, which I did. I was told that it would require replacement of both my seat front seat belts, and possibly more including airbag components to the tune of several thousand dollars! I asked them, as I did Ford: As I've had many Ford vehicles, personal and company, several of which I've driven over 200K miles, without ever having a seat belt or airbag component failure, how is this MY problem and not Ford's, especially after only 40K miles? I had asked Ford these two most important questions: 1- "What did I do to CAUSE THIS FAILURE?" and 2- "What could I HAVE DONE TO PREVENT IT?" They refused to answer and only told me that I need to take it to a dealer to have it repaired. I have not pursued it as I didn't have the thousands of dollars the dealer wanted to charge me. This is wrong as it is part of Ford's refusal to acknowledge the faulty components in their seat belt/airbag systems, which has been putting my life at risk ever since their components' failure and Ford needs to be held responsible!
Passengers side seatbelt locks
Air bag light comes on and blinks code 3 3 then dings an alarm 5 dings x 5 times every 30 minutes, light stays on. I understand code 33 or 34 are seat belt pretentioners that are known to fail on mid 2000's ford vehicles. Mine is 2006 grand marquis. This appears to be a defect in materials causing a saftey concern for myself and passengers. The air bag system is disabled until repaired and the repair is very expensive. The vehicle has not been in an accident and it has been diagnosed as a driver side pretentioner high resistance failure. The mechanic suggested they replace both driver and passenger side since the passenger side will most likely also fail soon according to his experiance. This should be recalled to have pretensioners replaced since it is a known defect and safety hazard caused by ford parts.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mercury grand marquis. When the vehicle was started, the air bag warning indicator flashed three times and remained illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 32,621. *tt consumer stated drivers side seat belt mechanism failed. Seat belts and air bags ceased working.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 mercury grand marquis. The contact stated that the driver's seat belt failed to latch into the buckle. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 73,000. The VIN was not available.
While driving the car the drivers and passengers seat belts release. I took it to a mechanic and they said the spring in the seat belt holder is failing. It isn't very unsettling to be driving the car and the seatbelt releases for no reason. It could be related to the 2000 seatbelt recall. We just bought the car for my college student. I don't want to wait for a death to get a recall.
A spring in the driver's seat belt buckle failed, causing the airbag light on the instrument panel to illuminate and deactivate the air bag system in the event of a front impact requiring air bag deployment. The seat belt and buckle was required to be replaced. The air bag light illuminated every time the driver fastens the seat belt. The airbag light stays on and would not go off when the driver fastens the seat belt. The dealer traced this to a faulty seat belt latch. From reading on owners' blogs of this model, over several years including my model year, my problem does not appear to be a unique or rare occurrence. The most common causes are worn or broken springs on the switch in the seat belt latch. The switch in the seat belt latch not recognizing the driver in the driver's seat with the seat belt fastened causes the light to go on and deactivate the airbag restraint system for the driver. This safety item should be a model recall.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mercury grand marquis. While driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the air bag pretensioner failed. As a result, the seat belt retractor assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 51,000. The VIN was not available. Updated 7/16/15*cn the consumer stated the parts have not been in stock since 10-10-14. Updated 07/23/15
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
Seat belts: front: anchorage
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles using aftermarket front passenger side seat belt assemblies that were sold by ford parts departments from january 1, through june 13, 2000. These seat belt assemblies fail to comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 209, "seat belt assemblies." the equipment involved is service stock seat belt assemblies, model nos. H 9977, h 9979, t 9063, and t 9217, built by trw vehicle safety systems, inc. (trw) manufactured from june 1, 1998 through may 21, 2000. Some of these seat belt assemblies may have been installed as service replacement equipment on the vehicles involved in the recall.
- Risk
- In the event of a collision, these seat belts may not restrain an occupant increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect these vehicles and replace the service seat belt assemblies that were installed in these vehicles from january 1 through june 13, 2000.
Recall number 00V157002 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: anchorage
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles using aftermarket driver's seat belt assemblies that were sold by ford parts departments from january 1, through june 13, 2000. These seat belt assemblies fail to comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 209, "seat belt assemblies." the equipment involved is service stock seat belt assemblies, model nos. H 9977, h 9979, t 9063, and t 9217, built by trw vehicle safety systems, inc. (trw) manufactured from june 1, 1998 through may 21, 2000. Some of these seat belt assemblies may have been installed as service replacement equipment on the vehicles involved in the recall.
- Risk
- In the event of a collision, these seat belts may not restrain an occupant increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect these vehicles and replace the service seat belt assemblies that were installed in these vehicles from january 1 through june 13, 2000.
Recall number 00V157001 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: retractor
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. These vehicles may have been built with the left rear seat belt retractor attaching bolts incorrectly tightened.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, the vehicle occupant may not be properly restrained, increasing the risk of personal injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will tighten the retractor mounting bolts to the specified torque.
Recall number 00V083000 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: anchorage
- What is wrong
- The rivets holding the rear outboard belt d-rings were not heat treated properly causing the heads of the rivets to fracture under load and fail to hold the d-rings to the straps. This does not conform to the requirements of fmvss no. 210, "seat belt assembly anchorages."
- Risk
- Consequence of non-compliance: this condition can reduce the restraining capabilities of the safety belt in the event of an accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a reinforcement plate on the rear outboard seat belt assembly anchorages involved in this campaign.
Recall number 96V045000 · Recall details
Questions about the Mercury Grand Marquis seat belt
Which Mercury Grand Marquis years have seat belt won't latch or retract problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2001 (11 complaints), 2005 (8 complaints) and 2006 (7 complaints).
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used Mercury Grand Marquis?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history