Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS | ||||||
| EA05004 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 02/17/2005 | 07/06/2005 | FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | ||
| During the initial recall campaign in 2001, the subject vehicles were inspected by ford dealerships using a test tool that would detect a defective front seat outboard seat belt buckle assembly.approximately one million vehicles passed the inspection test for one or both front buckles.subsequent to the recall service action, odi received 15 consumer reports alleging that a passed inspection buckle subsequently failed to latch or inadvertently unlatched during use.in addition, ford has identified 543 owner and field reports alleging buckle failure subsequent to passing the inspection test.ford tested and examined over 100 warranty-returned buckles and found that 44% of the buckles had no problem or a condition not related to the recall inspection (non-latch related buckle damage or foreign contamination).warranty claims were highest during the 18-month period after the start of the recall (july 2001) and have been declining during the past 24 months.over the past 12 months, ford has received approximately 12 warranty claims per month out of a vehicle population of about one million.complaints counts are also decreasing.during the past seven months, odi has received only two complaints. a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances. | ||||||
| SEAT BELTS - FRONT - BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | ||||||
| EA05004 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 02/17/2005 | 07/06/2005 | FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | ||
| During the initial recall campaign in 2001, the subject vehicles were inspected by ford dealerships using a test tool that would detect a defective front seat outboard seat belt buckle assembly.approximately one million vehicles passed the inspection test for one or both front buckles.subsequent to the recall service action, odi received 15 consumer reports alleging that a passed inspection buckle subsequently failed to latch or inadvertently unlatched during use.in addition, ford has identified 543 owner and field reports alleging buckle failure subsequent to passing the inspection test.ford tested and examined over 100 warranty-returned buckles and found that 44% of the buckles had no problem or a condition not related to the recall inspection (non-latch related buckle damage or foreign contamination).warranty claims were highest during the 18-month period after the start of the recall (july 2001) and have been declining during the past 24 months.over the past 12 months, ford has received approximately 12 warranty claims per month out of a vehicle population of about one million.complaints counts are also decreasing.during the past seven months, odi has received only two complaints. a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances. | ||||||
| RQ04011 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 10/22/2004 | 02/17/2005 | FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | ||
| Under recall campaign (01v227), ford recalled approximately 1.3 million vehicles to inspect and if necessary replace the front driver and/or passenger seat belt buckle.approximately 1.1 million owners responded by taking their vehicles to a dealer for inspection of the buckle using a specialized buckle test tool.ford reported that 829,927 vehicles had both buckles pass the tool test and another 167,336 vehicles had one buckle pass.odi and ford received complaints alleging seat belt buckle failure shortly after passing the original recall inspection service.complainants alleged that the buckle failed by either not latching or false-latching (partial engagement of the latch to the latch plate).a false-latched buckle may release with minor movement or impact against the buckle housing including inadvertent release while the vehicle is in motion.odi is upgrading this recall query to an engineering analysis (ea05-004) to further analyze the field performance of those vehicles that ford dealers passed (one or both buckles) using ford's inspection test (997,263 vehicles). | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS - FRONT - BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | |||
| 04/02/2006 | 55000 | 1 | 04/15/2001 |
| I believe the 2001 ford seat-belt recall was inadequate and the latches are continuing to break internally. i am respectfully requesting that all the latches be replaced. my reasoning is as follows: i own a 2001 ford f150. in 2001 i took it in for the seat-belt recall. ford replaced one latch (the drivers belt latch). last week the latch on my son's seat belt failed. the latch broke internally. i went to the dealership to have the latch replaced under the recall. i told them their seat belt latches were failing. they told me there was no open recall on the vehicle. i was told by the ford motor companies customer service person that the seat-belts are only warranted for 5 years/50,000 miles. my truck has 55,000 miles on it. i told them seat-belts should never fail. he told me seat-belts do fail and he has seen them fall apart before (the conversation may have been recorded for quality purposes). ford is taking the position that if one of my family members dies due to a seat belt failure that it is not their problem since their seat belts are only warranted for 5 years/50,0000 miles. that is not acceptable. to date 40% of the seat belt latches in my vehicle have failed (i have 5 latches in my vehicle 2 have failed). ford is failing to take responsibility for the defective seat-belts and jeopardizing the lives of millions of people. furthermore they are not telling new car buyers that their seat-belts are only warranted for 5 years/50,000 miles. nor are they providing any kind of consumer information concerning recommended replacement/maintenance for the seat-belts. if you require any testimony or assistance from me concerning any deaths, injuries or other matters involving these defective seat belts i will be glad to assist. sincerely robert rassi occupation: quality assurance manager bsie industrial engineer statistical six sigma black-belt 623-670-3122. *nm | |||
| SEAT BELTS - REAR - BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | |||
| 04/02/2006 | 55000 | 1 | 04/15/2001 |
| I believe the 2001 ford seat-belt recall was inadequate and the latches are continuing to break internally. i am respectfully requesting that all the latches be replaced. my reasoning is as follows: i own a 2001 ford f150. in 2001 i took it in for the seat-belt recall. ford replaced one latch (the drivers belt latch). last week the latch on my son's seat belt failed. the latch broke internally. i went to the dealership to have the latch replaced under the recall. i told them their seat belt latches were failing. they told me there was no open recall on the vehicle. i was told by the ford motor companies customer service person that the seat-belts are only warranted for 5 years/50,000 miles. my truck has 55,000 miles on it. i told them seat-belts should never fail. he told me seat-belts do fail and he has seen them fall apart before (the conversation may have been recorded for quality purposes). ford is taking the position that if one of my family members dies due to a seat belt failure that it is not their problem since their seat belts are only warranted for 5 years/50,0000 miles. that is not acceptable. to date 40% of the seat belt latches in my vehicle have failed (i have 5 latches in my vehicle 2 have failed). ford is failing to take responsibility for the defective seat-belts and jeopardizing the lives of millions of people. furthermore they are not telling new car buyers that their seat-belts are only warranted for 5 years/50,000 miles. nor are they providing any kind of consumer information concerning recommended replacement/maintenance for the seat-belts. if you require any testimony or assistance from me concerning any deaths, injuries or other matters involving these defective seat belts i will be glad to assist. sincerely robert rassi occupation: quality assurance manager bsie industrial engineer statistical six sigma black-belt 623-670-3122. *nm | |||