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2001 Seat Belt Recall Nags Ford

March 9, 2005
Federal safety officials are investigating persistent complaints that seat belts on some 2001 Ford Motor Co. vehicles still do not stay latched. Ford recalled 1.4 million vehicles in 2001 because of the suspected seat belt defect in front seat buckles. Seat belt buckles were replaced in only a small percentage of the vehicles.

Safety officials say another recall is possible.

Ford public relations officials say the company is cooperating with the investigation. They point out that the company does not know if the complaints involve only vehicles that passed the inspection test or vehicles that received new buckles.

Vehicles involved in the 2001 recall were the 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis; Lincoln Town Car and Navigator; Ford Crown Victoria, Windstar, Ranger, F-150 through F-550, Expedition and Excursion.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Ford have received from than 540 complaints. The reports include nine injuries and one death.

NHTSA is also investigating the 2004 Toyota Sienna Minivan because of eight consumer complaints that second-row seat belts jam in webbing guides. A jammed seat belt will not retract and is considered to be a safety hazard in an accident.

Other defect investigations underway at NHTSA include the 2003-2004 Ford Super Duty F-Series Pickups, Excursion, All with 6.0-Liter Diesel.

The engine stalls without warning. There have been 3,200 consumer complaints, including 14 crashes with two injuries. There are 13,000 possibly related warranty claims out 384,000 vehicles sold.

The 2004 Lexus RX 330 received ten complaints about a failure of the brake power assist. The vehicle population is 146,000. Fifty people complained about taillight failure in the 2000 to 2002 Saturn L Series. The vehicle population is 282,000.

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