2007 Ford Escape Seat Belts Problems

I ATTEMPTED TO PUSH THE SEAT BELT RELEASE BUTTON AND THE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT RELEASE. I HAD TO STRETCH THE BELT AND PULL IT OVER MY HEAD TO CLIMB OUT OF THE CAR. MY HUSBAND ATTEMPTED TO RELEASE THE BUTTON, BUT THE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT RELEASE. I HAVE TO HAVE THE WHOLE THING REPLACED AND WAS QUOTED $450.00 AS IT WILL HAVE TO BE REWIRED ALSO. *TR

WAS DRIVING IN TOWN WITH PASSENGERS PROPERLY BUCKLED IN SEAT BELTS IN OUR 2007 FORD ESCAPE WITH 67,000 MILES. SUDDEN STOP AND THE PASSENGER IN THE REAR PASSENGERS SEAT HAD THE SEAT BELT PULL LOOSE FROM THE CONNECTOR. INSPECTION SHOWED THAT THE SEAT BELT STITCHING ON THAT PARTICULAR SEAT BELT HAD APPARENTLY NEVER BEEN PROPERLY STITCHED AND THERE WERE ONLY A FEW THREADS HOLDING THE SEAT BELT TOGETHER. CLOSE INSPECTION OF THE OTHER SEAT BELTS IN THE CAR SHOWED THE REST HAD A WHITE INSPECTION TAG WHILE THIS SEAT BELT DID NOT HAVE ONE AT THE "SUPPOSED" SEWED JOINT. LOOKS LIKE THE SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE DRILLED THE HOLES BUT DID NOT PUT THREADS THROUGH THE TWO PIECES. WE ARE NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNERS BUT CLOSE INSPECTION APPEARS TO BE AN ORIGINAL DEFECT AND THE SEAT BELT WAS APPARENTLY NEVER PROPERLY SEWN TO THE CLIP. CONTACTED (THROUGH CHAMPION FORD IN CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS OUR HOME) A LADY NAMED LISETTE WHO APPARENTLY IS THE TEXAS FORD CUSTOMER REPRESENTATIVE AND SHE STATED THAT SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND WE WERE NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER THAT IT WAS NOT FORD'S RESPONSIBILITY TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM. NO APPARENT RECALLS ON SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND NO ONE BUT FORD APPARENTLY KNOWS HOW MANY "REPLACEMENT" SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES HAVE BEEN PURCHASED BY FORD ESCAPE OWNERS. PICTURES OF THE SEAT BELT SEPARATED FROM THE CLIP IS AVAILABLE. *JB

2007 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO DISSATISFACTION WITH NEEDED VEHICLE REPAIR *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN HE PICKED HIS VEHICLE UP FROM THE REPAIR SHOP, HE DISCOVERED THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE BUCKLE ASSEMBLIES WERE NOT FIXED. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE PARTS WERE ON BACKORDER. *JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD ESCAPE. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE NOTICED TAPE WRAPPED AROUND THE SEAT BELT LATCH, LOCATED IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE SEAT BELT METAL LATCH WAS LOOSE AND THERE WAS ALSO A CRACK IN THE METAL LATCH. THE DEALER MADE THE CONTACT AWARE THAT THE TAPE WAS COSMETIC AND DENIED ANY ASSISTANCE WITH REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DENIED ANY ASSISTANCE WITH REPAIR TO THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 69,692.

ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 27, 2010 MY DAUGHTER BECAME TANGLED IN HER SEATBELT, AND WAS SO CONSTRICTED BY THE BELT THAT WE HAD TO CUT THE BELT. THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS IS AS FOLLOWS: 1. SHE BELTED IN, AS ALWAYS. 2. SHE ASKED IF SHE COULD LIE DOWN ON THE SEAT BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T FEEL WELL; I SAID OKAY, BUT KEEP THE BELT ON 3. WE PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY B/C SHE NEEDED THE BATHROOM - WHEN SHE SAT UP, SHE SAID "I'M STUCK IN MY SEATBELT." ONCE PARKED, SHE RELEASED THE CLIP, BUT REMAINED TANGLED IN THE SHOULDER STRAP. 4. AS WE TRIED TO GET HER OUT OF THE BELT (SHE IS 5'3", SO I COULD NOT SIMPLY LIFT HER UP), WHICH WAS AROUND HER WAIST IN A FULL TWIST, SHE PULLED THE BELT TO FULL EXTENSION, ACCIDENTALLY STARTING THE RATCHET FUNCTION. 5. THE BELT BEGAN TO RATCHET TIGHTER AND TIGHTER, AND BECAME SO CONSTRICTED THAT SHE HAD TO FACE OVER THE BACK SEAT. 6. I HELD THE BELT TO STOP THE RATCHETING, WHILE A FRIEND RAN IN TO GET A PAIR OF SCISSORS. THE BELT WAS INCREDIBLY TIGHT ON HER - WE COULD NOT EVEN MOVE IT UP OR DOWN ON HER WAIST AND SHE WAS CRYING BECAUSE IT WAS CUTTING IN TO HER SIDES. 7. UNABLE TO RELEASE THE BELT, I CUT IT OFF MY DAUGHTER. THE CAR IS A FORD ESCAPE, HYBRID, 2007 - BUT THE SEATBELTS ARE SIMILAR IN MOST CAR BRANDS. THE BELT IS UNDER WARRANTY AND WILL BE REPLACED AT NO CHARGE. I DO NOT KNOW HOW THIS COULD BE PREVENTED, AS THE RATCHETING FUNCTION OF THE SEATBELT IS NECESSARY FOR CHILD SEAT RESTRAINTS (CAR SEATS). HOWEVER, IT WAS THE RATCHETING OF THE BELT THAT PUT MY DAUGHTER IN SO MUCH DANGER, AS ONCE THE SEATBELT BEGINS RATCHETING, IT WILL NOT RELEASE UNTIL IT IS FULLY RETRACTED. THANKFULLY, I NOTICED IT WAS RATCHETING BEFORE SHE WAS COMPLETELY CONSTRICTED. I AM ALSO REPORTING THIS TO FORD. IT COULD HAPPEN IN ANY CAR WITH RATCHETING SEATBELTS, REGARDLESS OF THE BRAND. HOPEFULLY, IT WILL NOT HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE. *TR