Problems with 2000 Ford Windstar SEAT BELTS

My seat belt did not restrain me as i stopped to avoid hitting a car that had stopped short in front of me and my chest hit the steering wheel hard causing bruising. the seat belt is working properly. i called ford to inform them of what happened and they said there is no recall for my car regarding the seat belt. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. while driving at an unknown speed, the brakes were applied and a passenger seated in the second row on the driver side stated the seat belt did not retain him in place. the contact stated the failure occurred on every seat in the vehicle except for the front driver side as well as the second and third row middle seats. the vehicle was not inspected or repaired. the failure and current mileages were 70,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. the contact stated that three seat belts in her vehicle will not engage. she found a safety recall on the internet and called the ford dealer who stated that it is not a ford recall. the front passenger side seat belt and two rear side seat belts are not working. the purchase date and powertrain were unknown. the current and failure mileages were 86,000.

Dt: the consumer stated the driver's side seat belt jammed twice. she was unable to exit the seat belt without assistance. during the second occurrence the conaumer's husband had to pry the button off the buckle to free her. *ak updated 11/16/05. *jb

The consumer complained about multiple problems with the vehicle on numerous occasions. the driver noticed smoke coming from underneath the vehicle, and pulled over. the smoke went out on its own. the driver had the vehicle towed. the second incident involved the transmission exploding while driving. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection, and the mechanic determined that the transmission and the engine needed to be replaced. *ak only four of the seat belts worked. *sc *jb

While driving, the overdrive light flashed. the vehicle was towed and the dealer determined that the transmission was defective. *ak the power locks did not operate properly, the rear seat belt was damaged when the vehicle was purchased, the inside lights did not go off when the door was shut. *jb

The rear passenger outside seat belt webbing shredded and split in half. the passengers do not have seat belts that can be worn for safety.*ak the 4 seat belts in the back have shredded (2 captains chair and 3rd seat) in back-outside ones. the device that clips in seems to the problem. the dealership would not repair the seat belts because the vehicle was no longer under warranty and there were no recalls. *bf *nm

The rear bench seat outboard belt buckle had to be replaced, because it did not securely latch. this was the 4th out of 7 belt buckles that consumer had to replace because of latching problems. *ts *jb

I was pulling into a parking space, when the van lurched and surged over an enbankment. since i had my foot on the brake i feel the problem was mechanical.even though i cannot swear my foot did not slip off the brake i do not think it did. it is my opinion that something caused the windstar to surge and even with my foot on the brake it would not stop. the vehicle hit the edge of the pavement at tht edge of the embankment, hit the ground 8-10 feet down the embankment, slid 3/4 sideways down the hill, hit a concrete water run off gulley and rolled onto the bottom of the left side then rolled back upright. the impact at the bottom of the hill was hard enough to break the front wheel, and crack the rear wheel. the vehicle had to be towed away. at no time during this "wild ride" did my seat belt tighten,or secure me in the seat. i found myself with my back over the right arm rest on the driver seat. i feel very lucky to be only battered and bruised by this crash. i believe had i been a frail person serious injuries would have occured. i am still having a problem with my lower back, it is sore and painful to touch. i also am having some muscle spasms in my lower back and upper legs, which i blame on the seat belt not securing me in place.*ak

Driver's side and passenger's side seat belts do not retract when there is a sudden stop.*ak

My concern is that the seat belt webbing frequently is trapped in the door jab upon the drivers exit. i believe this repeated action could lower the tensile strength of the seat belt webbing. ford recently replaced the assembly including the webbing, but this replacement assembly continues to frequently not fully retract the webbing resulting in the same trappment. i contacted the ford motor company safety office several times, their advice was to seek warranty replacement. this does nothing to address the potential safety issue with the webbing. the warranty narrative reads, "s25/dirver seat belt is slow to retract". *ak

While traveling 35mph vehicle was struck head-on and front passenger seat belt kept retracting, and caused severe injuries to passenger.*ak

Second row driver side seat belt buckle malfunctioned, causing seatbelt not to latch which may not protect a child in event of a crash. dealer popped it back into place, and said it was okay to use. but, consumer asked to replace seatbelt system. please provide further information.*ak

Rear seat belts in van not welded to body. *ak