Ford F-150 Seat Belts Problems
Owners have filed 435 complaints with NHTSA about seat belts problems on the Ford F-150 across 30 model years. The 2001 model year has the most (78). The words owners use most often: “seat belt” (59% of reports).
- 435seat belts complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 86mention a crash
- 73mention an injury
- 10related recalls
- $320typical repair cost reported by owners
- 35%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 257 of 435 complaints (59%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical seat belts repair on the Ford F-150 at $320, and half of them between $250 and $400.
Based on 10 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2005–2023), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do seat belts problems happen?
Based on 248 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 435 complaints, 86 mention a crash, 16 a fire, 73 an injury.
Ford F-150 seat belts complaints by model year
| Model year | Seat Belts complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 F-150 | 3 | 2% | 1,250 |
| 2023 F-150 | 2 | 0% | — |
| 2022 F-150 | 2 | 0% | — |
| 2021 F-150 | 5 | 0% | 82,500 |
| 2020 F-150 | 3 | 0% | 33,000 |
| 2019 F-150 | 4 | 0% | 90,000 |
| 2018 F-150 | 16 | 1% | 12,500 |
| 2017 F-150 | 17 | 1% | 44,500 |
| 2016 F-150 | 14 | 1% | 28,500 |
| 2015 F-150 | 26 | 2% | 40,000 |
| 2014 F-150 | 9 | 1% | 66,600 |
| 2013 F-150 | 7 | 0% | 70,000 |
| 2012 F-150 | 3 | 0% | 133,500 |
| 2011 F-150 | 8 | 0% | 74,000 |
| 2010 F-150 | 8 | 1% | 70,225 |
| 2009 F-150 | 3 | 1% | 32,000 |
| 2008 F-150 | 11 | 3% | 80,953 |
| 2007 F-150 | 6 | 1% | 53,250 |
| 2006 F-150 | 7 | 1% | 69,690 |
| 2005 F-150 | 20 | 2% | 62,000 |
| 2004 F-150 | 17 | 1% | 43,500 |
| 2003 F-150 | 16 | 4% | 15,500 |
| 2002 F-150 | 50 | 6% | 94,500 |
| 2001 F-150 | 78 | 6% | 80,500 |
| 2000 F-150 | 15 | 1% | 100,000 |
| 1999 F-150 | 25 | 2% | 68,500 |
| 1998 F-150 | 13 | 1% | 99,523 |
| 1997 F-150 | 38 | 1% | 100,165 |
| 1996 F-150 | 3 | 1% | 125,225 |
| 1995 F-150 | 6 | 1% | 131,280 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (10)
Seat belts:front:webbing
Model years: 2021
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 F-150 Super Cab vehicles. The front seatbelt webbing may be incorrectly routed.
Risk: 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.
Seat belts:pretensioner; structure:body:roof and pillars
Model years: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford F-150 Regular Cab and SuperCrew Cab vehicles. If a front seat belt pretensioner deploys as the result of a crash, the sparks may ignite materials such as carpeting or insulation within the B-pillar area.
Risk: A vehicle fire could result if materials ignite inside the vehicle.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove the B-pillar insulation material and wiring harness tape, and install heat resistant tape, free of charge. The recall began September 28, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S27.
Seats; seat belts:front:anchorage
Model years: 2017
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 trucks with manually-adjusted front passenger seats. The seat belt anchor may not be adequately welded to the seat cushion frame. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages," and 207, "Seating Systems."
Risk: The seat belt buckle weld may fail, preventing the occupants from being properly restrained in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger manual seat track, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin November 6, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17C17.
Seat belts:rear/other
Model years: 2015, 2016, 2017
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 F-150, and 2017 F-250 and F-350 trucks equipped with a crew cab. The left rear inflatable seat belt buckle assembly may be inadequately attached to its mounting bracket. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
Risk: If the left rear inflatable seat belt buckle separates from it's mounting bracket, the seat occupant may not be adequately restrained, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat belt assembly, replacing the attaching rivet as necessary, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed October 18, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy becomes available. Owners may contact Ford Customer Service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17C12.
Seats; seat belts
Model years: 2014
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford F-150 and E-350, 2014-2015 Ford Escape, and 2015 Lincoln MKC vehicles. Improperly manufactured bolts may have been used to install certain seats, seatbacks, seatbelt buckles, or seatbelt anchors on these vehicles.
Risk: The improperly manufactured bolts may fracture. If a seat, seatback, or seatbelt anchor attaching bolt fractures, the affected component may not be properly secured, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected bolts, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed September 8, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available in the fourth quarter of 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S17.
Seat belts:front:anchorage
Model years: 2015
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015 Ford F-150 SuperCrew trucks manufactured January 22, 2015, to March 17, 2015. The affected vehicles may be equipped with driver or front passenger seat belt anchorage assemblies whose pretensioner cable was not properly crimped. As a result, the seat belts may not properly restrain the seat occupant in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies" and 210, " Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
Risk: An occupant that is not be properly restrained is at an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver and/or front passenger side seat belt retractor(s) and pretensioner(s), free of charge. The recall began on February 12, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15C17.
Seat belts:front:buckle assembly
Model years: 2001
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger and sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and minivans. Equipped with seat belts supplied by trw. It is possible that the driver's and/or front passenger's outboard seat belt buckle may not fully latch. Ford crown victoria built at st. Thomas assembly plant from 4/17/00 - 5/29/01 mercury grand marquis built at st. Thomas assembly plant from 4/17/00 - 5/29/01. Lincoln town cars built at wixom assembly plant from 3/27/00 - 5/30/01. Lincoln navigators built at michigan truck plant from 4/11/00 - 5/31/01. Ford windstars built at oakville assembly plant from 3/23/00 - 5/30/01. Ford rangers built at twin cities plant from 3/28/00 - 5/30/01, and also at the edison plant from 3/13/00 - 5/25/01. Ford f-150 truck built at norfolk plant from 4/18/00 - 5/25/00; at ontario plant from 5/10/00 - 5/28/01; at kansas city plant from 9/11/99 - 5/25/01; and at cuautitlan plant from 5/16/00 - 6/9/01. Ford super duty f-250, f-350, f-450, and f-550 trucks built at kentucky plant from 4/17/00 - 5/27/01; and at cuautitlan plant from 5/16/00 - 6/19/01. Ford excursions built at kentucky plant from 4/17/00 - 10/2/00. Ford expeditions built at michigan truck plant from 4/11/00 - 5/31/01.
Risk: In the event of a crash, the restraint system may not provide adequate occupant protection, increasing the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the front outboard seat belt buckles and if the buckle fails the inspection process, it will be replaced. Owner notification began july 25, 2001. 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 1-866-436-7332.
Seat belts:front:retractor
Model years: 2001
Problem: Vehicle description: regular cab pickup trucks. The driver side seat belt retractor may not fully retract the belt.
Risk: This could cause slack in the seat belt when worn, increasing the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant, in the event of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver's side seat belt assembly.
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.
Seat belts:front:anchorage
Model years: 1997
Problem: The seat elt anchorage attachments are missing or misinstalled on these vehicles.
Risk: A loose fastener can eventually detach and would not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a vehicle accident.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and, as necessary, repair the seat belt anchorage attachments.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The seat belt will not latch when I insert the tongue normally. It will only click into the buckle if I hold the release button down while inserting it. This is the back seat behind the driver seat.
There is an issue with my cowl which has 1 drain hole, on passenger side which if gets clogged with debris, causes water to build up and water to intrude from cowl into interior truck causing water intrusion to the body control module and electrical issues, and carpet is wet and creates mold smell…
While removing child care seats from the back-right passenger seat, I noticed an unusually loud tingling sound from the lower anchor point of the seat belt. Upon inspecting it, I noticed that the bolt anchoring the bottom part of the seat belt was completely unscrewed and was only being held on by…
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the seatbelt pretensioners for all seats failed, and the frontal airbags for the driver seat and front passenger seat were inoperable. The seatbelt warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was…
Seat belt sensors do not work correctly for back seat passenger. Seat doesnât register people sitting in it or when seat belt is buckled sometimes. Issue was reported to dealer and taken for repairs u see warranty, but never completed. Causes issues when carrying passengers because i canât tell…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Ford F-150s have seat belts problems?
No. NHTSA has 435 owner complaints about seat belts for the Ford F-150. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Ford F-150 seat belts?
Yes: 10 safety recalls list seat belts. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
How much does it cost to fix seat belts problems on the Ford F-150?
Owners report a typical cost of $320 (half paid between $250 and $400), from 10 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about seat belts problems on the Ford F-150?
The most frequent phrase is “seat belt”, in 257 of 435 complaints.
Other Ford F-150 problems
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- Electrical System problems (3,642)
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See all Ford F-150 problems.