Ford Ranger Seat Belts Problems
Owners have filed 191 complaints with NHTSA about seat belts problems on the Ford Ranger across 17 model years. The 2001 model year has the most (45). The words owners use most often: “seat belt” (64% of reports).
- 191seat belts complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 43mention a crash
- 40mention an injury
- 4related recalls
- 29%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 122 of 191 complaints (64%)
At what mileage do seat belts problems happen?
Based on 81 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 191 complaints, 43 mention a crash, 40 an injury.
Ford Ranger seat belts complaints by model year
| Model year | Seat Belts complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Ranger | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2020 Ranger | 6 | 5% | 45,000 |
| 2019 Ranger | 7 | 3% | — |
| 2010 Ranger | 1 | 1% | 65,952 |
| 2008 Ranger | 1 | 0% | 130,000 |
| 2006 Ranger | 1 | 0% | 7,625 |
| 2005 Ranger | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2004 Ranger | 3 | 1% | 100,000 |
| 2003 Ranger | 9 | 4% | 74,350 |
| 2002 Ranger | 16 | 5% | 64,000 |
| 2001 Ranger | 45 | 9% | 98,627 |
| 2000 Ranger | 23 | 3% | 100,000 |
| 1999 Ranger | 12 | 2% | 47,000 |
| 1998 Ranger | 13 | 2% | 178,750 |
| 1997 Ranger | 9 | 2% | 96,122 |
| 1996 Ranger | 26 | 6% | 126,880 |
| 1995 Ranger | 17 | 5% | 94,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (4)
Seat belts:front:webbing
Model years: 2019, 2020, 2021
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Ford Ranger Super Cab vehicles. The front passenger outboard seat belt may not have been assembled properly, allowing the seat belt to be misrouted. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 208, "Occupant Crash Protection" and 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."
Risk: 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.
Seat belts
Model years: 2019
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019 Ford Ranger vehicles with a SuperCab body style. The front passenger seat belt may have been improperly assembled.
Risk: Improperly assembled seat belts may not adequately restrain occupants in a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the right front seat belt assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 29, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S23.
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
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.
1. Transmission is going out dealership never said a word about the 6 recalls on it one being transmission 2. Front seat belts are in backwards and the child safety hook in back seat has a recall on it that the 3 of the 6 I know of Ford had told alm to replace the entire transmission before they…
Restraints indicator lamp warning. Air bag warning is on due to a problem with the front passenger side airbag. The front passenger airbag may not function.
Airbags: passenger rear and front side airbags did not deploy after being struck on the passenger side by another vehicle. Seatbelts: were ineffective Vehicle was sold due to system failures and equipment issues. Safety: Head and body trauma due to non deployment. Inspection: Unknown No system…
Air bag malfunctions and not active passanger and driver side, hvac malfunction replaced twice, power train shifting out of gears, PCM malfunctions and triggering failures to sensors. Passanger seat belt not working. Collision sensor malfunction and not working.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while parking and removing the seat belt, the belt retracted quickly wrapping around their child's neck. The contact was able to stop the vehicle and release the child; however, the seat belt still failed to retract properly. No injuries…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Ford Rangers have seat belts problems?
No. NHTSA has 191 owner complaints about seat belts for the Ford Ranger. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Ford Ranger 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 Ranger?
The most frequent phrase is “seat belt”, in 122 of 191 complaints.
Other Ford Ranger problems
- Air Bags problems (1,882)
- Power Train problems (745)
- Tires problems (701)
- Structure problems (668)
- Suspension problems (523)
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (486)
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems (483)
- Electrical System problems (434)
See all Ford Ranger problems.