Ford Motor Company: Seat Belts › Front › Buckle Assembly
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Aug 17, 1992 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 565,000. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
THE RIGID MOUNTED SAFETY BELT BUCKLES ARE DEFECTIVE IN THREE WAYS. FIRST, A FASTENED SAFETY BELT BUCKLE WILL NOT UNLATCH WHEN THE RELEASE BUTTON IS DEPRESSED. THIS RESULTS FROM INTERFERENCE BETWEEN THE BUCKLE EJECTOR FINGER AND THE BUCKLE TONGUE WINDOW. THE SECOND DEFECT IS THE SAFETY BELT BUCKLE MAY NOT LATCH. THE THIRD POSSIBLE DEFECT IS THAT THE TONGUE MAY BE RETAINED BY THE BUCKLE, BUT IT MAY NOT BE LATCHED SUFFICIENTLY TO PROVIDE OCCUPANT PROTECTION.
The risk
AN INSUFFICIENTLY LATCHED OR UNLATCHED SAFETY BELTINCREASES THE RISK OF INJURY TO SEAT OCCUPANTS IN THE EVENT OF A SUDDEN STOP ORACCIDENT. IF THE SAFETY BELT BUCKLE WILL NOT UNLATCH, IT WILL NOT ALLOW THEOCCUPANT TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION.
The remedy
FORD WILL REPLACE THE RIGID MOUNTED SAFETY BELT BUCKLES WITH END RELEASE SAFETY BELT BUCKLES DESIGNED TO PREVENT LATCH PROBLEMS.
3 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 Ford Explorer | 609 | 11 | 63 | 57 |
| 1990 Ford Taurus | 381 | 8 | 23 | 29 |
| 1990 Mercury Sable | 166 | 7 | 18 | 12 |
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 92V113000.
Full record for the 1991 Ford Explorer → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →