The defect
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, A POST WITHIN THE SAFETY BELT BUCKLE COVERS COULD FRACTURE, WHICH COULD AFFECT LATCH FUNCTION, RESULTING IN EITHER A "NO LATCH" OR "PARTIAL LATCH" CONDITION. IN THE "PARTIAL LATCH" CONDITION, THE BUCKLE TONGUE CAN BE INSERTED INTO THE BUCKLE AND APPEAR TO BE ENGAGED, BUT WILL RELEASE FROM THE BUCKLE WITHOUT THE PUSH BUTTON BEING DEPRESSED WHEN A RELATIVELY LOW LOAD IS APPLIED, SUCH AS WHEN AN OCCUPANT MOVES SLIGHTLY IN THE SEAT.
The risk
IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL HAVE THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER SAFETY BELT BUCKLE COVER REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED SERVICE BUCKLE COVER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 2, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape | 2001 |
Components: SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Escape | 2001 | 996 | 13 |
Other seat belts recalls in 2003
17 of the 527 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2003 concerned the seat belts; FORD MOTOR COMPANY filed 963 campaigns in all.
| 03V534000 19 Dec 2003 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. |
| 03V515000 15 Dec 2003 | MAZDA NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS |
| 03V506000 9 Dec 2003 | STARCRAFT BUS AND MOBILITY |
| 03V391000 10 Oct 2003 | VOLVO CARS OF N.A. LLC. |
| 03V362000 8 Oct 2003 | BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY |
| 03V365000 3 Oct 2003 | GIRARDIN MINIBUS INC. |
| 03V333000 8 Sept 2003 | AMERICAN SUZUKI MOTOR CORP. |
| 03V290000 5 Aug 2003 | HYUNDAI CARIBBEAN-PUERTO RICO |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2003