262 of the 36,256 complaints filed about the Ford Escape are about the seat belts — 1% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2013.
262
Complaints
1%
Share of all complaints
42
Crashes
1
Fires
SEAT BELTS
When there is a seat belt fault, it disables the airbags from going off, even though the seat belts are all engaged
NHTSA complaint #11756227 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
We are concerned that the seatbelt and possibly airbag malfunctioned and contributed to my mother in laws death on 11/17/2025. The drivers seatbelt had not been latching properly and would come unlatched at random times prior to the accident. The car was taken to dealership, based on the seatbelt not staying latched and it was repaired on 10/20/2025. She continued to have issues with it after the repair. Less than a month later, she was killed in a low speed collision. The cause of death was ruled blunt force trauma to the chest. The officer on the scene expressed concern that the seatbelt malfunctioned and that it did not hold her securely.
NHTSA complaint #11754539 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
The rear hatch clicks like it wants to open but doesn't release the latch to open it and I can't get to the place to release an lower the spare tire which is safety concern to me. Also the driver side seat belt casing broke and doesn't release every time you push button to unlatch it which can cause serious problems if in an accident I had a individual garage guy inspect an said he had replaced several latch mechanisms in the hatch for several escape owners i can't afford to have it replaced at this time. If we're to have a flat in extreme heat or extremely cold weather it can cause heat stroke or hypothermia. There were no warning signs one day wouldn't open. An seatbelt wouldn't release one day until pushed so hard the casing broke off an could push clip inside
NHTSA complaint #11753547 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
A nagging seat belt monitoring fault occurred with this vehicle. After researching this particular problem, I found that it is a well known issue to Ford (over several forums and owners websites), which is caused by a seat belt sensor. This fault comes up as a rear seat belt fault, but it is actually the driver's front seat belt sensor that is the problem. This fault causes the airbags to be turned off which poses a danger to any occupant in the vehicle if it is involved in an accident. This sensor has gone bad in hundreds of vehicle spanning over several different models and years.(this is taken directly from NHTS's metadata) The part number is LJ6Z-7861203-BC (specifically the left/front driver-side buckle end). It is used in the following vehicle models: Ford Escape: Model years 2020–2025 (including Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid variants). Ford Bronco Sport: Model years 2021–2025. Ford Maverick: Model years 2022–2025 (including Hybrid variants; specifically for units built from February 27, 2024, onwards as a direct replacement for earlier suffixes). Ford Mustang Mach-E: Model years 2021–2023.This part supersedes previous versions LJ6Z-7861203-AA, LJ6Z-7861203-BA, and LJ6Z-7861203-BB. Versions of parts are usually only superseded due to problems with the original part. Did NHTSA seriously never cross reference their own materials?
NHTSA complaint #11752710 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
See attached document for complaint.
NHTSA complaint #11749333 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
My child got into the back passenger seat and wasn’t able to click her seatbelt into the buckle. I used a flashlight to see if something had gotten stuck in it, there’s nothing. It simply won’t click in. The red button can be pressed down but won’t allow the seatbelt to go into it. I used this same seatbelt and could buckle into both other buckles.
NHTSA complaint #11748950 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
2017 Ford Escape In 2025 driver's side front seat belt would not retract. Car taken to Balise Ford in Hyannis, MA. Balise Ford did an inspection (for which a charge was imposed) to determine if repair can be done. Seat belt could not be repaired and needed to be replaced. Replaced in January 2025. Information is being submitted since it was noticed that there was a recall for 2018 Ford Escape with seat belt retraction problem. Invoiced for repair are attached.
NHTSA complaint #11744131 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
I put money down on the vehicle the next day when I drove it I noticed that the seat belt doesn’t work. I told him about it and he told me to se if it stays clicked on the passenger side. It does but I couldn’t drive that way it was choking me. He said he would put a new one in it but never did. I have gone there several times a week and several times in a day for a couple of weeks. It has airbags or they don’t work. Because the light will flash a bunch of times and then stay on. I can’t drive it because there are no safety devices to keep me from being killed in the event of an accident. I would like help getting my down payment back so I can get a road worthy vehicle. I have spent all if this time trying to find away to get my money back. I have lost almost all of my clients due to not having reliable transportation to get to my the homes to clean them.
NHTSA complaint #11739858 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
The drivers seat belt buckle lactch has broke. The part of the buckle that latched the seatbelt has broken and fallen down into the buckle therefore the drivers seat belt can not be worn. This is a huge safety issue and is also illegal. The seat beat and buckle should be something in a vehicle that doesn’t just break like this. Makes me very concerned that they will not hold up in an accident.
NHTSA complaint #11729034 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the rear-view camera displayed a distorted image while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure obstructed the vision of the driver, preventing the driver from safely operating the vehicle. The message "Rear-view Camera Unavailable" was displayed on the screen. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the front passenger’s side seat belt retractor failed to function as intended. The contact stated that after unbuckling the seat belt buckle, the seat belt failed to retract. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. Recently, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. After several attempts, the vehicle was restarted, and there was an abnormal fuel-burning odor entering the vehicle through the A/C vents. The contact stated that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was refueled, and the contact checked the oil dip stick, and the oil level was extremely low. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11726406 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
Rear right passenger seatbelt came apart at the webbing. When my granddaughter tried to buckle her seatbelt it came apart in her hands. This has been confirmed by the dealer, it appears to have been severed but there has been no accidents.
NHTSA complaint #11724483 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
Right side rear passenger seat belt malfunction as it won't retract and when pulling it around your body there is no resistance as it just hangs loose.
NHTSA complaint #11723859 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
The second row middle seat seatbelt was extended one time and did not retract back. It is in operable and a seat we barely used, there’s no reason it should’ve stopped working. No rough play, heavy use, or use outside of occasional passenger. There’s already a past recall for a different seatbelt so there must be an issue with this one too. Car was only 4 years old, around 60 k miles or less. It has not been repaired because the ford dealer cannot get parts. It has been months of asking for updates and help on the issue.
NHTSA complaint #11721610 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
For months, I have had restraints indicator lamp warning, specifically for the driver seatbelt buckle sensor circuit, as well as one notification for a fault with the occupant classification system which includes air bags and safety belt buckle pretensioners. It is going to cost over $600 to fix the driver belt alone. As this is part of the safety features of a car, I do not feel as though the consumer should be responsible for this. It seems as though it should fall on that of the manufacturer
NHTSA complaint #11719042 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
I recently purchased this vehicle. The driver seatbelt does not retract snugly when fastened. The tensioner is not working. I am afraid it will not hold me if I crash. I will fix this. It is a serious safety issue!
NHTSA complaint #11718648 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
Drivers side, front seatbelt buckle is not latching properly without multiple attempts. Release latch seems to stick when depressed to release the belt, so then will not latch the next time it is inserted.
NHTSA complaint #11713089 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
The vehicle has experienced repeated electrical failures over an extended period of time despite multiple repair attempts. After the most recent repair, which required the vehicle to be kept for approximately 10 days and included a battery replacement, the same electrical issue returned shortly after the vehicle was returned. The vehicle has previously stalled in traffic, creating a safety concern. In addition, the sunroof collapsed into the passenger compartment while a rear-seat passenger, who was a child, was present. A seat belt malfunction also occurred and required repair. Repairs have been attempted for these issues, but safety-related problems have continued. I do not feel the vehicle is safe to operate, especially when transporting a child.
NHTSA complaint #11712529 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
So I bought this 2020 ford escape at 1100 miles. It was used as a dealership loaner vehicle until I bought it which put its 5 year at 11/19/2025, although I purchased it 12/2+/2020. Which h doesn't make sense. I'm slightly over the 60k/5 yr safety warranty because of it being a loaner vehicle first. I'm over the 60k by 19k, but under my 5 yr warranty. My driver seat belt is malfunctioning, so all my air bags are inactive. I find this very unfair and unsafe as I have 3 children ages [XXX] to [XXX] old. Please tell me there is something we can do thats not going to cost a lot of money. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11703127 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
.After activating the cruise control on the freeway for a few minutes, the cruise control deactivated and displayed the "Adaptive Cruise Not Available" message on the dashboard, immediately lowering the speed. Additionally, the sunroof interior stopped working after opening it. The bar that helps retract the sunroof interior came loose, and Ford says the repair is not covered under the extended warranty. There was also a problem with the rear seat belts, which displayed a warning: "REAR BELT MONITOR FAULT. SERVICE REQUIRED."
NHTSA complaint #11688117 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that her mother observed that the driver's seat belt failed to retract properly over time and failed to secure the driver as intended. The contact stated that the seat belt was very loose. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
NHTSA complaint #11685644 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.