There are 5 stored owner reports matching the air bags & restraints leading-label group for the 2008 Ford Explorer in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 5 of 5 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)THE DRIVER'S SAFETY DEVICE (SEAT BELT) DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY. IT IS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO CLICK/LOCK IT IN PLACE, EVEN WITH FORCEFUL PRESSURE. IN ADDITION, THE SEAT BELT WILL COME UNLOCKED. THIS CAN HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING OR NOT IN MOTION. ALL INDICATIONS ARE THAT THE SEAT BELT IS LOCKED IN PLACE (NO DASH LIGHTS INDICATING IT IS NOT) BUT THEN IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY COME OUT OF THE LOCKED POSITION. WHAT GOOD IS A SEAT BELT IF IT DOESN'T WORK? THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MY HUSBAND AND ME.
THE DRIVER SAFETY SEAT BELT DOES NOT EASILY LOCK IN PLACE EVEN WITH A HARD PUSH AND COMES OUT OF THE RETAINER UNDER PRESSURE ON THE BELT - ONLY REPEATED HARD PUSHES UNTIL A CLICK SOUNDS IS EFFECTIVE! THE LOCKING MECHANISM APPEARS TO BE LOCKED WHEN IN FACT IT IS NOT. THE DRIVER IN A FATALITY WOULD BE ACCUSED OF NOT FASTENING HIS SEAT BELT WHEN HE THOUGHT IT WAS LOCKED IN PLACE. THE WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASH INDICATING THE SEAT BELT IS NOT FASTENED DOES NOT COME ON WHEN THE LOCKING MECHANISM IS NOT LOCKED IN PLACE MAKING THE DRIVER THINK THAT THE BELT IS SECURE WHEN IT IS NOT.
SEAT BELT TIGHTENS UP OVER CHEST AND WON'T RELEASE THIS WAS PROBLEM WITH ALL 4 EXPLORERS I BOUGHT 1991,1996,2003 AND NOW MY 2008 WHY CANT YOU GUYS GET A DIFFERENT COMPANY FOR YOUR SET BELTS THE ONE YOU USE SUCKS I'M SURE THERE ARE MANY MORE DEFECTS BUT I GUESS THE OTHER PEOPLE AS LONG AS THE CAR RUNS THEY SAY NOTHING ABOUT THE BELT IF YOU NEED TO SEE CAR LET ME KNOW WHERE TO BRING IT AND YOU CAN SEE FOR YOURSELF. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO A WOODED AREA. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE FRONTAL AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE HOOD CAUGHT FIRE AND DESTROYED THE ENTIRE VEHICLE. THE INSURANCE COMPANY MAY NOT INVESTIGATE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE ONLY HAD LIABILITY COVERAGE. THE MANUFACTURER WILL BE NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOW YARD. THE CONTACT BROKE HER LEFT HAND AND THE PASSENGER INJURED HIS RIGHT KNEE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 166,000.
THERE IS A SUSPECT DRIVING A SEA GREEN FORD EXPLORER IN BUXTON, NORTH CAROLINA FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW WITHOUT A REGISTERED VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER INSIDE THE DASHBOARDS OF HER VEHICLE AND THEREFORE IT IS OBVIOUSLY A THREAT TO OTHER VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY AND COULD INCUR LONG TIME DAMAGES TO ANOTHER VEHICLE OR PEDESTRIAN ON THE ROAD AT ANY GIVEN TIME PLUS THE SPACE WHERE IT IS SUPPOSED TO READ THE VIN IT IS PAINTED YELLOW AND READS IN BIG WHITE LETTERS AIR BAG.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: May 4, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.