2015 Ford Explorer seat belts problems

“I have reported this multiple times here and to Ford. The 2015 Ford explorer sport bucket seats in the back seat have defective seat belts. They do not release properly and in fact 1 of the 2 I had a child get STUCK in the seatbelt. I have been told by Ford dealer, and an outside service center, and I've looked it up as well online that over 200ppl have complained of this issue. SEATBELTs that are LOCKED/DO NOT RELEASE is a huge safety issue!Yes this problem has been confirmed by Ford and an independent service center. No warnings occurred when this happened. This first appeared over 4 years ago and FORD has done NOTHING to address it!”

“This weekend the seatbelt on the Driver seat gave out and now I am unable to buckle my seatbelt at all. I called Larry H Miller Ford in Lakewood CO and they informed me that a diagnostic for the seat belt is 230$ which is out of my budget. The women I spoke with then stated that just the other day she had an Explorer (same make and model as my vehicle) came in with the same issues and the repair was about 1,200$ which is definitely not in my budget. Not only is it illegal to drive without a seat belt in Colorado, it is extremely dangerous and posses an immediate risk to my safety. Like I stated I can’t afford Fords diagnostic however if I need to take it to insurance or police for inspection I will do that. There was no warning signals or indication this would happen. I would like further investigation if this has already happened to at least 2 of us in the Denver area there has to be more and this is extremely dangerous and up to Ford to fix the problem.”

“my middle row airbag seat belts on both sides are broke. you can not hook them into the bottom piece. One does not stay hooked and the other is completely apart. ( see attached picture) It is a law to wear seatbelts and this is has to be fixed or m family can not ride in my car. I went to dealership and it is very expensive to replace. This should be a recall on this for it is a law to wear seatbelts and several other people have had the same problem.”

“The inflatable seat belts on the middle row of 2015 Explorer Sport have broken. The buckle component on the R passenger side completely locked into place with a child buckled into it, and the child had to squirm and be pulled out of the belt. It is locked into the buckle. The L driver side buckle is cracked apart and causing the same issue. I am unable to transport my family safely with the lack of the use of these 2 seat belts. I have taken this to a independent service center to be checked/fixed as Ford dealership couldn't service my vehicle for 6 wks from now, and independent service company has told me that the part is consistently an issue and is constantly on back order. I have been told there is no release date for when part will be available. I filed a complaint with Ford Customer service and was told there is nothing they can do to help. No warning, no alerts - this just happened on a hot day with kids in my car unable to get out of a seatbelt. I can NOT use a vehicle because of lack of seatbelts.”

“The passenger seat belt (behind the driver) has locked up and we are unable to lock the seat belt in place. It locked up from the top side - not the bottom side. Since it is locked up, it will not allow anyone to sit in the seat since it can not be locked in place. Due to the electronics in the seat belt, a body shop owner advised we contact Ford directly. There are no recalls on this issue and we were advised from Ford to report this to the National Highway Safety traffic division.”

“2nd row seat belts, outer right and left have broken buckle. Part is on national back order and is not available. Ford does not have a recall or TSB active on this problem. Parts guy said this is a common problem, reflects on why part is on back order and not available. Cant put kids in vehicle due to defective seat belt. No have not contacted insurance or contacted police, I am a certified State Safety Inspector in Virginia and a Fleet mechanic for PWC GOV [XXX] ,-. Seat belt broke and will not lock buckle in place. Left side is starting to not latching anymore also.”