Ford Motor Company: Seat Belts › Front › Buckle Assembly
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Dec 5, 2003 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 132,243. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, A POST WITHIN THE SAFETY BELT BUCKLE COVERS COULD FRACTURE, WHICH COULD AFFECT LATCH FUNCTION, RESULTING IN EITHER A "NO LATCH" OR "PARTIAL LATCH" CONDITION. IN THE "PARTIAL LATCH" CONDITION, THE BUCKLE TONGUE CAN BE INSERTED INTO THE BUCKLE AND APPEAR TO BE ENGAGED, BUT WILL RELEASE FROM THE BUCKLE WITHOUT THE PUSH BUTTON BEING DEPRESSED WHEN A RELATIVELY LOW LOAD IS APPLIED, SUCH AS WHEN AN OCCUPANT MOVES SLIGHTLY IN THE SEAT.
The risk
IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL HAVE THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER SAFETY BELT BUCKLE COVER REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED SERVICE BUCKLE COVER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 2, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
1 model year covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 Ford Escape | 996 | 15 | 58 | 76 |
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 03V507000.
Full record for the 2001 Ford Escape → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →