Ford Windstar Seat Belts Problems
Owners have filed 160 complaints with NHTSA about seat belts problems on the Ford Windstar across 9 model years. The 1995 model year has the most (41). The words owners use most often: “seat belt” (50% of reports).
- 160seat belts complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 29mention a crash
- 33mention an injury
- 2related recalls
- 23%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 80 of 160 complaints (50%)
At what mileage do seat belts problems happen?
Based on 35 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 160 complaints, 29 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 33 an injury.
Ford Windstar seat belts complaints by model year
| Model year | Seat Belts complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Windstar | 7 | 0% | 60,114 |
| 2002 Windstar | 6 | 0% | 22,447 |
| 2001 Windstar | 20 | 1% | 83,900 |
| 2000 Windstar | 19 | 1% | 69,000 |
| 1999 Windstar | 18 | 1% | 77,500 |
| 1998 Windstar | 28 | 2% | 104,500 |
| 1997 Windstar | 3 | 2% | 139,000 |
| 1996 Windstar | 18 | 1% | — |
| 1995 Windstar | 41 | 1% | 144,800 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (2)
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.
ABS light, brake light came on. The seatbelt unhooks while Iâm driving, I was told I had a cracked axle, the wheel bearing was very noisy, Iâve paid a lot of money to get things fixed. The labor was at a ridiculous amount on $25 parts. Iâm wondering if Iâve paid to have parts fixed that…
Electrical shorts fire , ac , brakes speel control ,locks doors
I'm having problems with a 2003 ford windstar van i purchased. The mileage is 081206.3. The abs and brake lights are on and the sliding doors on both the driver and passenger will not open from the inside of the van. The doors on the sides and back are very hard to open from the outside as well…
After looking up all of the service reports on this vehicle, i am beginning to recognize that ford has some explaining to do. We have a large amount of service reports on our vehicle alone that our dealership is not reporting. We have paid more for service repairs than we did paying for the…
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. The contact stated that the safety seat belts failed to latch. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 170,000.
Frequently asked questions
Do all Ford Windstars have seat belts problems?
No. NHTSA has 160 owner complaints about seat belts for the Ford Windstar. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Ford Windstar seat belts?
Yes: 2 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 Windstar?
The most frequent phrase is “seat belt”, in 80 of 160 complaints.
Other Ford Windstar problems
- Engine and Engine Cooling problems (2,676)
- Power Train problems (2,595)
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems (2,137)
- Suspension problems (2,045)
- Electrical System problems (1,567)
- Structure problems (1,239)
- Service Brakes problems (929)
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (892)
See all Ford Windstar problems.