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1.8

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
93,000 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

1997 Ford Explorer seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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1997 Ford Explorer Owner Comments

problem #2

Nov 012007

Explorer 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 186,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I own a 1997 Ford Explorer AWD 5.0 liter. The seat belt latch on the driver's side no longer holds the seat belt in place after I buckle up. In order to drive, I have to insert the seat belt into the latch on the passenger's side. When I do this the seat belt now crosses my neck, and I am very concerned. It also means I cannot safely drive the auto with a passenger because the driver's side seat belt won't work. On a normal latch, I can push down the red release button and can feel the spring action. On my driver's side, there is no spring tension on the red release button.

- Everett, WA, USA

problem #1

Jul 022004

Explorer 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Several problems with this auto, it seems to be falling apart. The driver side seat belt no longer latches. We have to loop the driver side through the passenger side. It appears this is an issue with several of these models. This is a serious safety hazard and seat belts are mandatory by law. Is there anything being done? the left turn indicator has had electrical issues for years. It makes a zzzz sound and no longer works. I am also down to only one door that the key works on. That is the back lift. The door key had not worked on the driver side for years, then the passenger side went. I have the same heat problem the others are having. You either get full on heat and have to turn it on and off when it gets too hot or you get partial ac, always a little warm. Both the ac and heat has been serviced, the problem is in the switch somewhere. And now the reason I'm writing is I have major electrical problems. Fuses and solinoids have been looked at, there are no longer lights in the dash area. The lights on alarm (ding ding ding ding) remains on when the car is off, the keys out and the door shut which has drained my battery completly. I have jumped started it twice and now it sits in my driveway because it will cost a fortune to have the electrical looked at. If this is an issue with anyone else it should be reported to Ford. Not only can I no longer drive this car, it would be totally unsafe to use it. I need 4wheel drive just to get out of my driveway in winter and have no idea how I'm going to come up with the money for all these repairs. Please advise if there are any recalls that address these issues. The incident date I listed below is for the time the seatbelt started to fail completly. We were on a vacation trip!

- Spring Creek, NV, USA

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