Ford 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.
The short version
FORD MOTOR COMPANY reported a problem with the front buckle assembly. Here is what owners need to know.
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.
IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY.
DEALERS WILL HAVE THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER SAFETY BELT BUCKLE COVER REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED SERVICE BUCKLE COVER, free of charge.
Affected vehicles
These model years are included in NHTSA campaign 03V-507.
| YEAR RANGE | MODEL |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Ford Escape |
What changed
Newest first. The record shows both when the recall began and what has changed since.
- Recall reported to NHTSA. LATEST
Drive one of these? Check your VIN to see if your specific vehicle is affected.
Check your VINWhat this record means
Data from the NHTSA recall database. A clean VIN check means no open federal recalls for that vehicle — not that it never had one.
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