I've had plenty of Ford in the bay over the years, and the seatbelt complaints on these don't surprise me. 921 on the NHTSA record across 102 model-year entries (2005–2023) is not a fluke. The complaints are spread across the lineup — no single model is doing all the work. That tells you it's an engineering or supplier pattern, not a one-off bad year. 5 fatality reports on file with NHTSA tied to this category on Ford vehicles. That elevates this from nuisance to safety-critical. Average shop fix runs about $500 — not catastrophic, but it adds up over time. Across the 249 complaints reporting odometer mileage, the median failure lands at about 63,451 miles. Drive it across the conditions it will actually see — heat, cold, highway, stop-and-go. Pattern complaints surface under load, not in the dealer parking lot.
ProblemsByVin FORD / SEATBELTS
102 model-year entries · 2005–2023
Ford seatbelts problems
921 owner complaints filed with NHTSA against Ford vehicles for seatbelts issues. 20 active recall campaigns. See seatbelts across all makes →
Complaints
921
Recalls
20
Year-models
102
Avg fix
$500
58crashes
14fires
123injuries
5fatalities
Worst-affected Ford model-years for seatbelts Top 25 by complaint volume
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
2013 Ford Fusion
71 complaints · ~$500 severe
2014 Ford Fusion
60 complaints · ~$500 severe
2019 Ford Expedition
59 complaints · ~$500 severe
2012 Ford Focus
34 complaints · ~$500 moderate
2015 Ford Explorer
22 complaints · ~$500 severe
2013 Ford Escape
20 complaints · ~$500 severe
2016 Ford Explorer
19 complaints · ~$500 moderate
2020 Ford Expedition
18 complaints · 4 recalls · ~$500 severe
2019 Ford Edge
18 complaints · 1 recall · ~$500 moderate
2014 Ford Escape
18 complaints · ~$500 severe
2015 Ford F-150
17 complaints · 1 recall · ~$500 severe
2017 Ford Mustang
16 complaints · 1 recall · ~$500 moderate
2015 Ford Fusion
16 complaints · 1 recall · ~$500 severe
2014 Ford Explorer
16 complaints · ~$500 severe
2017 Ford Explorer
15 complaints · ~$500 severe
2016 Ford Fusion
14 complaints · 2 recalls · ~$500 moderate
2013 Ford Focus
14 complaints · ~$500 moderate
2020 Ford Explorer
13 complaints · 1 recall · ~$500 moderate
2013 Ford Explorer
13 complaints · ~$500 moderate
2005 Ford F-150
13 complaints · ~$500 severe
2017 Ford Escape
12 complaints · ~$500 severe
2017 Ford F-150
12 complaints · 1 recall · ~$500 severe
2016 Ford F-150
12 complaints · ~$500 moderate
2012 Ford Escape
12 complaints · ~$500 severe
2018 Ford Edge
11 complaints · ~$500 moderate
Active recalls — Ford seatbelts 12 on file
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles
Seat belts that do not retract or extend can fail to restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt retractors as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 8, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in August 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S34. This recall replaces and expands previous NHTSA recalls 24V099 and 25V197. Vehicles previously inspected or repaired under the prior recalls will need the new repair completed.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2026 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles
A loose seat belt buckle may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the second-row outer seat belt lower anchor bolts and replace or repair them as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 30, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C18. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 19, 2026.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Corsair and Escape vehicles
An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and secure, or replace the seat belt retractor bolts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 26, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C68. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 15, 2025.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles
A corroded cable can break, preventing the seat belt from properly restraining an occupant, and increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace both front seat belt anchor pretensioner assemblies, as necessary. In addition, dealers will remove sections of the carpet and underlayment that contact the cables. Dealers will also inspect the A-pillar sealing patches, and as necessary, install A-pillar body plugs, and/or inspect and replace the front outboard seat bolts. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed October 20, 2025. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated December 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S92. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov September 17, 2025.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles
Seat belts that do not retract or extend can fail to restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat belt retractors as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 22, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S31. Some vehicles in this recall that were previously inspected under recall 24V-099 and did not have parts replaced will need to have this new recall remedy completed.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Explorer and Aviator vehicles
A loose seat belt or seat belt buckle may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect seat belt buckle anchor bolts in all seating positions. Additionally, dealers will inspect the seat belt retractor anchor bolt and seat belt anchor bolt at the second-row center seating position, if equipped. If loose anchor bolts are found, the affected seat components will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 5, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S09.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles
Seat belts that do not retract or extend may fail to restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat belt retractors, as necessary. Additionally, dealers will install an HVAC drain tube elbow if it is missing. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 8, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S06.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Bronco vehicles built with the 5-Door body style
Difficulty accessing the seat belt latches may result in occupants not wearing their seat belts, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will add a sliding clip latch stop to the driver and front passenger seat belts, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed July 14, 2023. Owner letters informing owners that parts are available were mailed on October 2, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C16.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Mustang Mach-E and 2022 Maverick vehicles
Improperly attached seat belts may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will repair the rear seat belt buckle attachments, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 28, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C36.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Ford Ranger Super Cab vehicles
A misrouted seat belt may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will provide owners with instructions to perform a preliminary inspection of their front seat belts. Owners that detect an issue with the driver's seat belt, are unsure of the results, or do not want to perform an inspection, should not drive their vehicles and contact a Ford dealership. Dealers will inspect the front row outboard seat belts and replace them, if necessary, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 5, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed December 22, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C25.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 F-150 Super Cab vehicles
A misrouted seatbelt may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to perform a preliminary self-inspection of the front seatbelts. If the passenger-side seatbelt fails inspection, owners should not use the passenger seat until the repair is performed. If the driver-side seatbelt fails inspection, owners should not drive their vehicle until the repair is performed. Dealers will inspect the front seatbelts and, if the webbing is misrouted, will replace the seatbelt retractor and pretensioner, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 14, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C20.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Transit and 2021 Transit Connect vehicles
An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the front passenger seat belt assembly, and replace the assembly as necessary, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on September 14, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on December 30, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C18.
Common questions
How many Ford seatbelts complaints are on file with NHTSA?
921 complaints across 102 model-year entries from 2005 to 2023. 20 active recall campaigns cover seatbelts issues across the Ford lineup.
Which Ford model has the most seatbelts complaints?
The 2013 Ford Fusion leads with 71 complaints in this category. Next: 2014 Fusion (60) and 2019 Expedition (59).
What does it cost to fix Ford seatbelts problems?
Independent shops average $500 for seatbelts repairs across the Ford lineup. Dealer pricing tends to run twenty to forty percent higher. Specific cost depends on the failure mode and parts availability.
Are there Ford seatbelts recalls?
Yes — 12 active recall campaigns cover seatbelts on Ford vehicles. Recall fixes are free regardless of mileage or warranty status. The list below shows current campaigns with their NHTSA numbers.
Related
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public records database.
Editorial commentary written by Mark Driver, an independent contributor to ProblemsByVin
and not affiliated with Ford.
Severity ratings derive from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities on the NHTSA complaint and recall record.
Repair cost averages reflect independent-shop pricing and may differ in your area.