NHTSA Complaint #10113924 — 2002 FORD FORD TRUCK

ON THE RIDE HOME FROM PURCHASING MY NEW CAR, MY SEAT BELT CAME UNLATCHED. THIS EVENT REPEATED SEVERAL TIMES ON THE RIDE HOME. I CALLED THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY, AND THEY SAID TO BRING THE CAR IN AND THEY WOULD FIX IT. THE MIDDLE FRONT SEAT BELT WASN'T ASSEMBLED TO BEGIN WITH, SO THEY SAID THEY WOULD FIX BOTH PROBLEMS. DUE TO THE FAMILY CATCHING THE FLU THAT DAY I DID NOT BRING THE CAR IN, HOWEVER THE SEATBELT BEGAN ENGAGING PROPERLY. A FEW MONTHS LATER IT BEGAN LATCHING INTERMITTENTLY AGAIN. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT THEY SAID IT WAS WORKING PROPERLY. I?VE HAD THIS HAPPEN NUMEROUS TIMES OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, WHERE I CAN?T GET THE SEATBELT TO LATCH AT ALL, YET THE DEALERSHIP [I?VE BEEN TO SEVERAL] SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. AFTER 2 YEARS OF CHECKING 2002 RECALLS AND FINDING NOTHING, I FINALLY CHECKED THE 2001 RECALLS AND FOUND SEVERAL EXPERIENCES JUST LIKE MINE. ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALERSHIP BY PHONE FOR AN UNRELATED RECALL, AND THEY WERE AWARE I HAD A 2002. I TOLD THE PERSON ABOUT MY SEATBELT PROBLEM, AND WAS TOLD IT WAS A KNOWN ISSUE, AND WOULD BE FIXED FOR FREE. WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE DEALERSHIP I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG, AND THAT IT WOULD COST $125 TO FIX. I BOUGHT THIS CAR IN JANUARY 2002, AND IT WAS SOLD AS A 2002, BUT IT HAD SITTING ON THE LOT FOR MONTHS. THE SEATBELT PROBLEM HAS ME WONDERING IF I ACTUALLY BOUGHT A 2001. *AK