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Seat beltsPart report

2001 Ford Ranger Seat belts Problems

Complaints
45about this part
Share
9%of 515 total for the year
Median mileage
98,627miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 45 complaints about the seat belts of the 2001 Ford Ranger, 9% of the 515 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 98,627 miles. 8 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Driving down the road my seat belt pops out randomly any phase of driving after I latched it and pulled on it to check. This has happened numerous times now.”

NHTSA complaint #11327818, filed 2020-06, 180,000 miles

“I was driving on a residential road, coming up to a third speed bump. I stepped on the brakes to slow down a little bit and my engine revved and started going faster. I hit the brakes and my truck spun out, off the road and stopped. The seat belt harness did not lock up; the shoulder strap stayed loose, and my head was being hit against the steering wheel. Then, somehow I fell out of the truck. This has never happened before. 05/17/13 I took my truck in to get the recall fixed, and get everything checked out.”

NHTSA complaint #10514258, filed 2013-05, 80,664 miles

“Driver side seat belt retracting mechanism came apart and made seat belt inoperative. I bought a new seat belt and replaced it. Replacement seat belt did same thing 9 months later. Dealer replaced it free of charge. 3 months later same thing happened again. Dealer replaced it again. 3 months later it broke again. Warranty on parts is for 1 year so I am liable to replace it. I am concerned if they are made this poorly, will I be protected in case of a collision. The mechanism is held together with small plastic tabs that breakoff and cause the seat belt mechanism to come apart and not retract.”

NHTSA complaint #10555765, filed 2013-12, 98,627 miles

“It had been raining and it was slushy out, my truck got pulled by slush and I hit a guard rail almost head on and bounced off of it and wound up right on the edge of the inside lane of the highway once the truck was stopped my airbags went off, I then had an asthma attack from the powder that came out of the air bags. How ironic that the passenger side air bag was shut off yet it still went off. Also when my truck went in the shop to be fixed I found out that both seatbelt pre-tensioners had to be replaced since both of them had broke yet I was the only one in the truck. …”

NHTSA complaint #10141886, filed 2005-11, 28,000 miles

“The passenger seat belt doesn't latch and the airbag light illuminates sporadically. Occasionally for the entire trip and sometimes it goes on and off throughout the trip, yet other times it functions properly!”

NHTSA complaint #11397662, filed 2021-02, 150,000 miles

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Seat belts: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202213%
202065%
201973%
201011%
200810%
200610%
200510%
200431%
200394%
2002165%
2001459%
2000233%
1999122%
1998132%
199792%
1996266%
1995175%
1994113%
199373%
199221%
199132%
199033%
198934%
1988910%
1987816%
1986720%
198418%
198319%

Other parts of the 2001 Ford Ranger

Body and structure
112 complaints
Suspension
87 complaints
Air bags
62 complaints
Vehicle speed control
57 complaints
Brakes
55 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
51 complaints
Tires
39 complaints
Fuel system
31 complaints
Engine cooling
29 complaints
Electrical system
22 complaints
Other or unknown
22 complaints
Steering
7 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2001 Ford Ranger

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology