Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEATS | |||||
| 11759 | 08/01/1998 | 615261 | Some vehicles may come in for a bent front seat back recliner lever. *tt | 01/10/2001 | |
| 13218 | 09/01/1999 | 6090591 | Information regarding seat that willl not move forward. *mjs | 03/21/2000 | |
| 7079 | 09/01/1999 | 6090430 | Information regarding seat that will not move forward. *mjs | 03/20/2000 | |
| 982515 | 12/21/1998 | 603653 | Conditions with the front seat back lever bent. *yc | 03/01/1999 | |
| 9751 | 03/03/1997 | 51931 | Interior- leather seat cleaning procedure- service tip. *jd | 07/17/1997 | |
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - POWER ADJUST | |||||
| 982019 | 10/12/1998 | 603704 | Concerns with the power seat control button ( knob ) may detach from the switch actuator. *yc | 03/03/1999 | |
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - RECLINER | |||||
| 4642 | 08/01/1998 | 615180 | Some vehicles may come in for a bent front seat back recliner lever. *tt | 01/03/2001 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEATS | |||
| 12/08/2006 | 100000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford explorer. the contact stated that a vehicle crashed into the rear of his vehicle and the driver side seat belt failed to restrain. the contact received injuries to the shoulder and neck. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis and the failure was located at the driver seat. the dealer advised that the seat was detached from the base and caused the seat belt buckle to fail. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 100,000. | |||
| 12/08/2006 | 100000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1997 ford explorer. the contact stated he was struck from behind and the driver seat belt failed to restrain. he received injuries to the shoulder, and neck. the vehicle was taken to the dealership to be diagnosed the failure was located at the driver seat was detached from the base causing the seat belt buckle to fail. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current miles was 100,000. li | |||
| 09/12/2003 | 1 | ||
| Nhtsa# 03-v-281-000 on certain sport utility vehicles equipped with high back seats, the upper bolt on the driver's side high back seat, that attaches the seat recliner mechanism to the seat back frame, could fracture. the consumer has the same problem. *ph | |||
| 04/27/2002 | 1 | 12/26/2001 | |
| When making a right turn driver's side seat leans from side to side. took to ford, and they welded driver's side seat. *ak consumer is asking for refund. *yh | |||
| 09/25/2001 | 1 | 01/01/2099 | |
| While stopped at a traffic light,vehicle was rear ended by another suv going approximately 60mph. the back support for the drivers seat apparently broke as a result of the impact and went to a fully reclined position,providing no support. as a result, my wife sustained neck and lower back injuries (herniated disks) among other injuries. have any other problems been reported regarding the seat failing to hold up and provide proper support during a severe rear end collision?*ak | |||
| 03/01/2000 | 2 | 03/20/2000 | |
| Holes in the seat and the lever is broken. *slc | |||
| 04/01/1997 | 3 | 01/01/1997 | |
| No summary listed for this vehicle. *ak | |||
| 10/01/1998 | 1 | 07/01/1997 | |
| Front seat track failed. | |||
| 1 | 11/01/1997 | ||
| Adjustment handle snapped off of seat. | |||
| While driving and applying gas the driver's seat rocks back and forth. also, when the brakes are applied the seat rocks forward. dealer was contacted. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Rear seats not designed to lock down. | |||
| 1 | 03/31/1997 | ||
| Flaw in seat cover. | |||
| 1 | 04/13/1997 | ||
| Child got hand stuck in seat while playing with the control buttons, the child sustained injuries due to failure. | |||
| 1 | 03/01/1997 | ||
| While driving the engine cut completely off. dealer replaced engine. *ak consumer states that after engine replacement, oil pump assembly failed and then oil was leaking again after that was replaced, dealer has agreed to replace consumer's explorere with a 1998 model. rack and steering was replaced, due to lost fluid in front end. seat bracket failed. *slc | |||
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - POWER ADJUST | |||
| 03/25/2007 | 103000 | 1 | 11/10/1996 |
| My 1997 ford explorer was parked outside a local restaurant when i was alerted that the interior of my vehicle was on fire and that the fire department had been called. black smoke was pouring out of the slightly opened windows when i approached the suv and ultimately put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. closer examination indicated that the source of the fire came from under the drivers side seat. one of the firemen on the scene speculated that the motor that controls the power seat overheated and started the fire. my first call was to ford motor company. their response was that they would send me a letter in the mail. this letter came a week later and explained that although they would really like to assist me with my loss , there was not a recall on my vehicle, so they would not be able to assist me. my insurance company took care of me and hopefully they will also take care of ford to recoup their loss . i am fortunate that a young child or one of our family pets were not in the car. any thoughts i may have had about buying another ford have been replaced with thoughts about there customer dis-service and the lack of concern over a potentially deadly problem with one of their best selling suv's. *jb | |||
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - RECLINER | |||
| 03/05/2004 | 90000 | 1 | |
| While vehicle was parked consumer was trying to recline/adjust the seat. the seat reclining handle snapped. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak | |||
| 02/01/2002 | 85000 | 1 | 05/15/1998 |
| Rear doors won't open from inside and it is not the child deterrent lever on door, heating system overrides a/c heater sometimes dosen't work. recline lever broke off. *ak | |||
| 11/15/2003 | 76000 | 1 | |
| The consumer noticed the driver side seat back reclined backwards after opening the driver's side door. prior to this incident, the consumer had informed the dealership that the seat was loose and rocked. the dealer provided no assistance. recall 03v281000 was issued for the high back seat, however, this vehicle was not included in recall due to the vehicle identification number. *ak *scc *jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| While driving driver's seat back fell, causing the vehicle to veer across the road. *ak | |||
| 01/31/2003 | 38000 | 2 | 03/15/1999 |
| Seat recliner levers break off. back seat passenger(s) must climb over seat to enter or exit. if there was an emergency rear seat passengers would have difficulty exiting vehicle. the cheap metal part that fractured is attached to a $70.00 part that with labor would be $240.00 for both driver and passeenger repair. this is more than inconvenience. | |||
| 07/17/2001 | 1 | 06/23/1997 | |
| Consumer stated as he leaned back in the drivers seat, the back of the seat fell onto the rear seat, consumer was not able to get the seat back up by using the seat handle, vehicle was taken into the dealership and consumer was informed that the latch holding the seat back in place had let go and had to be replaced.*jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| The drivers side seatback lever was broke. *yh | |||
| 07/17/2001 | 1 | 06/23/1997 | |
| Consumer stated as he leaned back in the drivers seat, the back of the seat fell onto the rear seat, consumer was not able to get the seat back up by using the seat handle, vehicle was taken into the dealership and consumer was informed that the latch holding the seat back in place had let go and had to be replaced.*jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| The drivers side seatback lever was broke. *yh | |||
| 04/01/1997 | |||
| Front passenger seat handle keeps breaking off. consumer has yet to contact dealer. please provide any further infomation.*ak | |||
| 06/01/2001 | 3 | 05/19/2001 | |
| Driver's side seatbelt would not release. consumer had to use scissors to cut seatbelt off. consumer has contacted dealer. *ak also, the ignition assembly unit failed and the back seat latch was missing. *yh | |||
| 04/10/2000 | 1 | 04/01/1997 | |
| This broken lever is a design problem, not a safety issue. *ak | |||
| 07/07/1999 | |||
| Vehicle experiencing ongoing problem with fuel vapor smell coming inside the vehicle. dealer notified, and was unable to locate the problem. also, seat moves back and forth, and driver's shoulder belt would not latch properly. dealer notified. *ak | |||
| 1 | 07/01/1999 | ||
| Rear brakes are shot and the seat handle is broken. my dealer says that vehicle is not cover under my extended warranty. but, there is a tsb # 98-25-15 for the seat handle, and i can't believe that my brakes or rear rotors are warped. already they did replacethe front ones and they should have done the rear at the same time but they did not. now i am the one who has to suffer because of them. this should be a warranty item taht all there is to it. hope i here from some one but i dought it. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Seat recliner handle broke while driving and readjusting seat. nlm | |||
| Vehicle was rear ended at 70mph, and the driver's side seatback collapsed. dealer has not seen vehicle. *ak | |||
| Driver was rearended by smaller vehicle that was driving at high rate of speed, causing driver's seatback to fall back into a reclining position, resulting in loss of control. vehicle was totaled. *ak | |||
| 07/08/1998 | |||
| Consumer has been experiencing problems with seat tracks and anchors. when the driver slammed on brakes, back seat tilted up and the passenger was ejected into the air. as a result, the passenger jammed her head against the ceiling. the manufacturer has been contacted. on 2-door model. *ak | |||
| 04/01/1998 | 2 | ||
| Seat latch metal broke off from the seat, and the seat is unusuable. incident occurred two times. dealer cannot duplicate the problem. *ak | |||
| 12/01/1996 | |||
| Vehicle will not accelerate when gas pedal is pressed. also, the rear seat bottoms do not lock in position, causing passengers fall when entering or exiting vehicle. seat bottom flips forward when weight is positioned on the front edge. | |||
| 11/27/1996 | 11/01/1996 | ||
| Back split bench seat: bottom of the seat does not lock in place, when sitting on front of seat, the back pops up, cause unknown. took to dealer and did not repair it, is taking to a dealer on monday for repair. *ak | |||
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - SEAT HEATER/COOLER | |||
| 04/02/2002 | |||
| Consumer states that the car does not produce heat, had panel replaced still no heat. ts | |||
| SEATS - MID/REAR ASSEMBLY | |||
| 1 | 10/01/1997 | ||
| Rear seat loose due to design. | |||
| 05/12/1997 | 6 | ||
| Rear seat fails to stay in a downright position. keeps flipping up for no reason. does not stay locked in place. child safety seat can not be placed on that rear seat. *ak | |||