Ford Explorer Seat Belts Problems
Owners have filed 570 complaints with NHTSA about seat belts problems on the Ford Explorer across 32 model years. The 1996 model year has the most (78). The words owners use most often: “seat belt” (61% of reports).
- 570seat belts complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 60mention a crash
- 58mention an injury
- 4related recalls
- 39%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Seat belt: mentioned in 350 of 570 complaints (61%)
- Second row: mentioned in 37 of 570 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do seat belts problems happen?
Based on 256 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 570 complaints, 60 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 58 an injury.
Ford Explorer seat belts complaints by model year
| Model year | Seat Belts complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Explorer | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2025 Explorer | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2024 Explorer | 1 | 5% | — |
| 2023 Explorer | 5 | 5% | 5,000 |
| 2022 Explorer | 5 | 2% | 12,994 |
| 2021 Explorer | 3 | 1% | 51,103 |
| 2020 Explorer | 18 | 1% | 43,500 |
| 2019 Explorer | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2018 Explorer | 8 | 1% | 28,000 |
| 2017 Explorer | 23 | 1% | 46,750 |
| 2016 Explorer | 40 | 2% | 47,000 |
| 2015 Explorer | 38 | 2% | 68,000 |
| 2014 Explorer | 27 | 2% | 70,000 |
| 2013 Explorer | 20 | 1% | 60,000 |
| 2012 Explorer | 14 | 2% | 60,400 |
| 2011 Explorer | 14 | 1% | 69,000 |
| 2010 Explorer | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2009 Explorer | 2 | 6% | 50,000 |
| 2008 Explorer | 4 | 3% | 84,000 |
| 2007 Explorer | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2006 Explorer | 6 | 1% | 27,575 |
| 2005 Explorer | 2 | 0% | 14,000 |
| 2004 Explorer | 7 | 1% | 189,000 |
| 2003 Explorer | 17 | 2% | 43,000 |
| 2002 Explorer | 34 | 1% | 60,528 |
| 2001 Explorer | 11 | 3% | 102,347 |
| 2000 Explorer | 16 | 2% | 48,500 |
| 1999 Explorer | 21 | 2% | 58,000 |
| 1998 Explorer | 38 | 2% | 97,825 |
| 1997 Explorer | 54 | 3% | 144,000 |
| 1996 Explorer | 78 | 5% | 140,000 |
| 1995 Explorer | 59 | 7% | 120,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (4)
Seat belts
Model years: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2026 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The seat belt anchor bolts at the second-row outer seating positions may be improperly secured.
Risk: 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.
Seat belts
Model years: 2020, 2021
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Explorer and Aviator vehicles. The seat belt buckle anchor bolts at one or more seating positions may be improperly secured. Additionally, vehicles may have an improperly secured seat belt retractor anchor bolt and/or seat belt anchor bolt at the second-row center seating position, if equipped.
Risk: 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.
Seat belts: rear/other:buckle assembly
Model years: 2020
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Explorer vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with second row center seat belt buckles that may not be properly secured to the seat.
Risk: Vehicles with seat belt buckles that are not properly secured may fail to restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the second row center seat assembly, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S50.
Seat belts
Model years: 2000
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and mini vans equipped with trw seat belt buckle assemblies. The buckle base of these seat belt assemblies were not properly heat treated and therefore do not pass the load bearing requirement of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, "seat belt assemblies."
Risk: In the event of a vehicle crash, the occupant may not be properly restrained.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the date code on certain seat belt buckles of your vehicle and replace all seat belt buckles that fall within the suspect date code range. Owner notification began october 26, 2000. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
I have reported this multiple times here and to Ford. The 2015 Ford explorer sport bucket seats in the back seat have defective seat belts. They do not release properly and in fact 1 of the 2 I had a child get STUCK in the seatbelt. I have been told by Ford dealer, and an outside service center…
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at higher speeds, the front driverâs side seat belt might not prevent him from hitting the steering wheel in the event of a crash or while depressing the brake pedal to come to a sudden stop. The local dealer was…
There is a driver's safety-restraint malfunction with a failure mode such that the tongue (male end of seat-belt) will not insert normally into the buckle (female end) unless the red release button is depressed. The driver buckle failure results in a failure in the vehicle's personal safety system…
Head on collision occurred XXX. A man was traveling east on XXX and ran the light at the intersection of [XXX]. I was heading south on [XXX] and hit his white truck. My air bags did not deploy. Also, within the last year a seatbelt was not latching properly and I had to get it replaced. In addition…
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train), 25V093000 (Seat Belts), 26V402000 (Power Train), and 26V451000 (Seats) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Ford Explorers have seat belts problems?
No. NHTSA has 570 owner complaints about seat belts for the Ford Explorer. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Ford Explorer seat belts?
Yes: 4 safety recalls list seat belts. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about seat belts problems on the Ford Explorer?
The most frequent phrase is “seat belt”, in 350 of 570 complaints, followed by “second row” (37).
Other Ford Explorer problems
- Power Train problems (5,091)
- Structure problems (4,912)
- Steering problems (4,059)
- Tires problems (2,965)
- Engine problems (2,057)
- Electrical System problems (2,036)
- Engine and Engine Cooling problems (1,752)
- Suspension problems (1,690)
See all Ford Explorer problems.