Ford Motor Company: Seat Belts
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Aug 18, 2000 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 144,435. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES, LIGHT DUTY TRUCKS, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AND MINI VANS EQUIPPED WITH TRW SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLIES. THE BUCKLE BASE OF THESE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES WERE NOT PROPERLY HEAT TREATED AND THEREFORE DO NOT PASS THE LOAD BEARING REQUIREMENT OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 209, "SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES."
The risk
IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DATE CODE ON CERTAIN SEAT BELT BUCKLES OF YOUR VEHICLE AND REPLACE ALL SEAT BELT BUCKLES THAT FALL WITHIN THE SUSPECT DATE CODE RANGE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN OCTOBER 26, 2000. 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 1-800-392-3673.
10 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Ford Contour | 199 | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| 2000 Ford Escort | 98 | 2 | 2 | 22 |
| 2000 Ford Explorer | 952 | 15 | 64 | 101 |
| 2000 Ford F-150 | 1,075 | 17 | 343 | 81 |
| 2000 Ford Ranger | 670 | 8 | 12 | 86 |
| 2000 Ford Windstar | 1,675 | 16 | 55 | 62 |
| 2000 Lincoln Town Car | 108 | 9 | 8 | 11 |
| 2000 Mercury Mountaineer | 123 | 8 | 12 | 15 |
| 2000 Mercury Mystique | 63 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| 2000 Mercury Villager | 71 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 00V228001.
Full record for the 2000 Ford Contour → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →