2013 Ford Escape Seat Belts Problems

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the driver’s side front seat belt failed to retract as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the retractor was replaced under warranty. The failure reoccurred approximately 2 months after the repair. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the retractor needed replacing again. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.

In my 2013 Escape, the driver's side seatbelt would no longer retract back in place on its own- and while driving it would not retract properly, usually staying loose and laying on my lap while buckled. The passenger side seatbelt would not fit snug around the passenger either. Both front seatbelts would not restrain anyone in the event of braking hard. I took it in for repair to Fred Bean's Ford in Exton, PA. It was unsafe to drive the car because both the driver and passenger would fly forward when the brakes were pushed hard- no restraining at all from either seatbelt. The dealership charged me over $1200 to install a new part called a pretensioner in both seatbelts. I saved my receipt.

THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT WILL NOT LATCH. ALSO, THE LEFT BACK DOOR WILL NOT OPEN.

TRANSMISSION WAS MESSED UP WHEN I BOUGHT OUT OF A DEALERSHIP I PAYED 4,000 TO FIX IT AND GET IT REBUILT FOR IT TO FAIL AGAIN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO LATCH SECURELY OR RETRACT. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FREMONT MOTOR LANDER (1731 W. MAIN STREET, LANDER, WY 82520, (307) 335-3359) AND IT WAS STATED THAT THE SEAT BELT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SEAT BELTS SHOULD BE WARRANTIED FOR THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 87,000.

DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT DOES NOT RETRACT. AS A RESULT I TESTED IT BY INSERTING THE BUCKLE AND PULLED ON THE BELT QUICKLY/SHARPLY TO DETERMINE IF IT WOULD LOCK UP. WHILE THE PASSENGER SIDE RETRACTS AND LOCKS UP, THE DRIVER SIDE DOES NOT. DON'T BELIEVE THE SEAT BELT WOULD RESTRAIN THE DRIVER IN AN ACCIDENT. MY WIFE DRIVES THE CAR AND SAID THIS BEGAN ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO. I WAS UNAWARE OF THIS UNTIL RECENTLY.

SEATBELT FAILS TO RETRACT PROPERLY. THE TENSION ON THE RETURN IS INADEQUATE. IT WILL RETRACT BY PUSHING THE SEAT BELT BACK INTO THE SLOT TO SOME EXTENT BUT NOT FULLY AND CERTAINLY NOT ON IT'S OWN.

DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT FAILS TO RETRACT WHEN BUCKLING UP. SLACK REMAINS WHILE DRIVING.THIS DOESN'T EFFECT THE G LOCK MECHANISM. IF IN A CRASH THE SEAT BELT IS USELESS TO PREVENT IMPACT OF STEERING WHEEL. A PERSON WOULD ONLY HAVE AND AIRBAG TO PROTECT DURING AN IMPACT. SEAT BELT THAT DON'T RETRACT SHOULD BE A SAFETY CONCERN IN ANY VEHICLE.

DRIVER SEATBELT WILL NOT TIGHTEN WHEN BEING WORN AND NOT SURE WOULD LOCK IF IN ACCIDENT!

DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT WILL NOT RETRACT ALL THE WHY.

'UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED': WE BOUGHT A NEW 2013 FORD ESCAPE. IT HAD MANY PROBLEMS, INCLUDING MANY SAFETY RECALLS. I REQUEST FORD BUY THE CAR BACK MULTIPLE TIMES (THEY REFUSED). OUR DRIVER'S SEAT BELT FAILED ON 12-25-2017 AT 09:55 AM, WHEN MY WIFE'S CAR WAS STRUCK FROM BEHIND BY A CAR GOING 50 MPH. BOTH CARS WERE TOTALED. MY WIFE WAS IN THE DRIVERS SEAWEARING HER SEAT BELT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT & WAS THROWN FORWARD AND HIT HER HEAD ON THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO ENGAGE. SHE GOT A CONCUSSION INJURY AND HAD TO GO TO THE ER, ALSO A BAD WHIPLASH AND OTHER INJURIES, INCLUDING SEATBELT RASH ON LEFT COLLARBONE. SEAT BELT FAILED OR HER HEAD WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN INJURED. WE AREN'T FIRST FORD OWNERS TO BE INJURED BY SEAT BELT PROBLEMS. I FOUND MULTIPLE REPORTS ON THE NHTSA SITE OF DRIVER AND PASSENGER INJURIES IN 2013 & 2014 FORD ESCAPES DUE TO SEAT BELT FAILURES. (NOTE: THIS ISSUE MAY BE SIMILAR TO EXISTING NHTSA RECALL 16V875, FOR THE FORD FUSION, BUT NOT THE ESCAPE.) FORD HAS BEEN NOTIFIED MULTIPLE TIMES DRIVERS & PASSENGERS ARE BEING INJURED BY THE FAILURE OF DRIVER & PASSENGER SEAT BELTS, YET HAS TAKEN NO ACTION, NOR HAS NHTSA. PLEASE REVIEW THE SEAT BELT INJURIES IN 2013-2018 FORD ESCAPES. *** NOTE: I FOUND 12 NHTSA REPORTS OF SEAT BELT FAILURES IN J2013-2014 ESCAPES, INCLUDING 4 INJURIES. THE ESCAPE DESIGN CHANGED IN 2013. A. NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10562168 (INJURIES DUE TO SB FAILURE, INCLUDING BROKEN BONES, INCORRECTLY LOGGED AS NO INJURIES, CUSTOMER CALLED FMC) INCIDENT DATE JANUARY 28, 2014 B. NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10561343 (TWO INJURIES, BRAKES FAILED, SEAT & SEAT BELTS FAILED) INCIDENT DATE JANUARY 9, 2014 C. NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10618315, (2 INJURIES), INCIDENT DATE AUGUST 1, 2014 D. OTHER SEAT BELT FAILURE REPORTS (NO INJURIES): 11053916,11053318,10947832, 10811504, 10555439, 11034362, 10763929, 10618315, 11048052

MY DRIVER-SEAT SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHT AND ALARM DOES NOT ALWAYS WORK. IT DOES NOT COME ON ON A CONSISTENT BASIS AT START-UP. IF I UNLATCH MY SEAT BELT WHILE THE DRIVING THE ALARM AND WARNING LIGHT DO NOT COME ON AT ALL. I HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE BELT LATCHING AT ONE POINT AND THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE LATCH. MY BACKSEAT DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT DOES NOT LATCH AT ALL. THIS IS THE SECOND BELT TO HAVE LATCHING DIFFICULTIES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT FAILED TO RETRACT WHEN ATTEMPTED TO BE USED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CLOQUET FORD (701 WASHINGTON AVE, CLOQUET, MN 55720, PHONE: (218) 879-4668) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SEAT BELT AND MOTOR FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

DRIVER'S SEAT BELT TENSIONER QUIT WORKING. SEAT BELT WILL NO LONGER TIGHTEN WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. THE SEAT BELT WILL NOT RESTRAIN THE DRIVER IN THE EVENT OF A SUDDEN STOP.

THE REAR SEATBELT BUCKLES APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN INSTALLED IMPROPERLY AT THE FACTORY. ONE OF THE BUCKLES IS FORCED UP BY THE BOLT SPRING WHILE THE OTHER TWO ARE FORCED DOWN. THE TWO THAT ARE FORCED DOWN MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR REAR SEAT PASSENGERS TO BUCKLE IN. FURTHERMORE, WHEN THE SEAT BACK IS FOLDED DOWN, THE TWO SEATBELT BUCKLES TEND TO BE FORCED UNDER THE SEAT. THIS CAN LEAD TO THE BUCKLE(S) GETTING DAMAGED WHEN TRYING TO RAISE THE SEAT BACK TO ITS UPRIGHT POSITION. IN SOME CASES, THE BUCKLE CAN BE CRUSHED AND MADE UNUSABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V597000 (SEAT BELTS) AND STATED THAT THE PART NEEDED WAS UNAVAILABLE TO PERFORM THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

DRIVERS SEAT BELT DOES NOT RETRACT, NOW IT WILL NOT RETRACT ENOUGH TO PROPERLY FIT DRIVER, HANGING LOOSE ON TORSO AT ALL TIMES, AND CONDITIONS. CLEARLY THIS IS A FAILED SAFETY DEVICE, REQUIRED BY LAW. CAR WAS TAKEN TO DEALER, WHERE FOR $100.00, I WAS TOLD IT'S NOT COVERED AND PARTS ALONE ARE $800.00 VEHICLE IS MODEL YEAR 2013 WITH 80,000 MILES.

WAS REAR ENDED BY A VEHICLE GOING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED WHILE SITTING AT A LIGHT. PASSENGER SEAT BELT DID NOT ENGAGE. MY DAUGHTER WAS THROWN TO THE LEFT AND FORWARD THEN TO THE RIGHT AND BACKWARDS. ALMOST HITTING THE DASH. HAS WHIPLASH AND COLLAR BONE ISSUES. CANNOT LIFT HER ARMS. CALLED FORD AND REPORTED THIS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH AND APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE BRAKES FAILED. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE LANE DIVIDER AND WENT AIRBORNE. THE VEHICLE CROSSED OVER FOUR LANES OF TRAFFIC BEFORE COASTING TO A STOP. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A FRACTURED LUMBAR SPINE AND INJURIES TO THE LEFT ELBOW. THE FRONT PASSENGER SUFFERED A HEAD INJURY, FRACTURES TO THE LUMBAR AND THORACIC SPINE AREAS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT ALSO FAILED UPON IMPACT. BOTH OF THE INJURED OCCUPANTS WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL FROM THE CRASH SITE. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NEITHER DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 11,000.

UPON TAKING OFF DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT, IT WOULD NOT RETRACT. PULLING OUT AND FASTENING THE SEAT BELT IT WILL NOT RETRACT AND TIGHTEN. TOOK TO FORD ON NOV. 26TH. SAID IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM. HAVE TO ORDER PARTS BUT WAS TOLD THAT SEAT BELT DOES NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY BUT HAVE AIR BAGS IF ANYTHING WAS TO HAPPEN. A MALFUNCTIONING SEAT BELT IS NOT A WARM FEELING TO DRIVE AROUND WITH. BIG SAFETY ISSUE. *TR