NHTSA Complaint #10541900 — 2007 FORD ESCAPE

WAS DRIVING IN TOWN WITH PASSENGERS PROPERLY BUCKLED IN SEAT BELTS IN OUR 2007 FORD ESCAPE WITH 67,000 MILES. SUDDEN STOP AND THE PASSENGER IN THE REAR PASSENGERS SEAT HAD THE SEAT BELT PULL LOOSE FROM THE CONNECTOR. INSPECTION SHOWED THAT THE SEAT BELT STITCHING ON THAT PARTICULAR SEAT BELT HAD APPARENTLY NEVER BEEN PROPERLY STITCHED AND THERE WERE ONLY A FEW THREADS HOLDING THE SEAT BELT TOGETHER. CLOSE INSPECTION OF THE OTHER SEAT BELTS IN THE CAR SHOWED THE REST HAD A WHITE INSPECTION TAG WHILE THIS SEAT BELT DID NOT HAVE ONE AT THE "SUPPOSED" SEWED JOINT. LOOKS LIKE THE SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE DRILLED THE HOLES BUT DID NOT PUT THREADS THROUGH THE TWO PIECES. WE ARE NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNERS BUT CLOSE INSPECTION APPEARS TO BE AN ORIGINAL DEFECT AND THE SEAT BELT WAS APPARENTLY NEVER PROPERLY SEWN TO THE CLIP. CONTACTED (THROUGH CHAMPION FORD IN CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS OUR HOME) A LADY NAMED LISETTE WHO APPARENTLY IS THE TEXAS FORD CUSTOMER REPRESENTATIVE AND SHE STATED THAT SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND WE WERE NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER THAT IT WAS NOT FORD'S RESPONSIBILITY TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM. NO APPARENT RECALLS ON SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND NO ONE BUT FORD APPARENTLY KNOWS HOW MANY "REPLACEMENT" SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES HAVE BEEN PURCHASED BY FORD ESCAPE OWNERS. PICTURES OF THE SEAT BELT SEPARATED FROM THE CLIP IS AVAILABLE. *JB