NHTSA Complaint #763598 — 2002 FORD TAURUS

THE 2002 FORD TAURUS WAS ON LOAN TO US WHILE WE WERE FIXING OUR 1999 FORD WINDSTAR. OUR 5 YEAR OLD (ALMOST 6) SON SOMEHOW WRAPPED THE BACK SEAT CENTER SEATBELT AROUND HIMSELF AND COULD NOT GET OUT. IN FACT THE SEAT BELT WOULD RETRACT AND LOCK THE SEATBELT ON HIM TIGHTER. MY WIFE TRIED TO GET HIM OUT AND FINALLY HAD TO USE SCISSORS FROM A NEARBY BUSINESS TO CUT THE SEAT BELT. OUR OWN INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT IF YOU PULL ANY OF THE SEATBELTS OUT TO THE MAXIMUM AND THEN LET IT RETRACT, THE SEAT BELT CAN NOT BE RE-EXTENDED UNTIL THE SEAT BELT HAS BEEN FULLY RETRACTED. FROM WHAT WE COULD DISCERN WAS THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO MANUALLY RELEASE THE SEATBELT WHEN IT IS IN THIS "MODE". LATER DISCUSSIONS WITH THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THIS WAS A "SAFETY" DESIGN FOR CHILD CAR SEATS. THOUGH THIS IS GREAT FOR CHILD SEATS, IT COULD BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN (AND MAYBE SOME DISABLED PEOPLE) UNLESS THERE IS A MANUAL RELEASE MECHANISM FOR THAT SEATBELT. I TRIED GOING THROUGH THE CONSUMER RELATIONS AREA OF FORD AND AM NOT SURE THEY ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO MY CONCERNS FOR THEY BLEW ME OFF WHEN I REQUESTED THE $179 COMPENSATION FOR HAVING TO REPLACE THE SEAT BELT THAT I THINK IS FAULTY ANYWAY.*AK