NHTSA Complaint #11504487 — 2016 FORD EXPLORER

On September 11th, 2019 we had to replace (while still under warranty) the seat belt buckle assembly on the rear (middle seat, driver side) because it would no longer buckle. On January 23rd, 2023 we returned to our local Ford dealership because the other rear (middle seat, passenger side) seat belt buckle assembly would no longer buckle. Upon inspection by the dealership's trim technicians, it was discovered that the other previously replaced seat belt buckle assembly is also about to fail again as well. So I now have 1 completely broken seat belt buckle assembly and a 2nd one seat belt buckle assembly that is about to fail in the middle row of my Explorer where my children are passengers. This is a repeat safety deficiency and we are very upset about it. We were under the impression our children were safe in their seatbelts in the back seats of our car. We contacted Ford Motor Company about this safety deficiency and were assigned the following case # of [XXX]. We were also assigned the following individual to handle the financial cost of the required repairs: CXS [XXX] Customer Experience Specialist, SUV Team [XXX] |www.ford.com office: [XXX] ext.[XXX] Our Assistant Service Manager at AutoNation Ford sent all the requested repair information and pictures requested by [XXX] at Ford. Our Assistant Service Manager at AutoNation Ford is: [XXX] Phone: [XXX] Unfortunately today, we received a phone call from [XXX] at Ford indicating that we do not qualify to have the repairs of the seatbelts covered by Ford. We find this completely unacceptable that Ford is not going to fix a safety item in a car that is less than 10 years old and in excellent condition. This is the second time these items have failed. Not only are the belts failing to connect, but they are also fraying. We do not believe we should have to pay for this vital safety equipment to be repaired. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).