NHTSA Investigation
PE03030
SAFETY BELT BUCKLE FAILURE
Key Takeaways
- Investigation PE03030 currently maps to 1 tracked vehicle-year page across 1 make.
- This page summarizes the public investigation subject, status, timing, and affected tracked vehicles linked from NHTSA source data.
- The linked component on this record is seat belts:front:buckle assembly.
- This investigation record also references recall campaign 03V507000.
What This Investigation Page Shows
This page summarizes a public NHTSA investigation record tied to one or more tracked vehicle-year pages in our database. Investigation records sit between owner complaints and recall campaigns: they can remain open, close without a recall, or connect to a later remedy action. Use this page to see which tracked vehicles are linked to the record, then open the individual vehicle pages for complaints, recalls, and crash test context.
Investigation Summary
THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED ON JULY 14, 2003 BASED ON 4 REPORTS ALLEGING THE DRIVER'S SAFETY BELT BUCKLE FAILED TO LATCH OR REMAIN LATCHED.MAZDA NOTIFIED ODI THAT IT TRANSFERRED ENGINEERING RESPONSIBILITY TO FORD WHEN THE VEHICLE DESIGN WAS BROUGHT TO THE UNITED STATES FOR PRODUCTION IN FORD'S ASSEMBLY PLANTS.FORD DETERMINED THAT THE SAFETY BELT BUCKLE IS SUBJECT TO LATERAL FLEXING DURING USE THAT COULD ALLOW A PORTION OF THE BUCKLE CABLE STALK CONVOLUTE TUBING THAT EXTENDS INTO THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY TO CONTACT THE MOLDED PLASTIC ANTI-RATTLE POST ON THE UPPER BUCKLE COVER.THIS CONTACT MAY CAUSE THE POST TO FATIGUE AND FRACTURE, ALLOWING THE BACKSIDE OF THE LATCH TO WEDGE BELOW THE BROKEN EDGE OF THE POST.IN THIS ORIENTATION, THE BROKEN POST MAY HINDER THE INTENDED ROTATION OF THE LATCH DURING INSERTION OF THE LATCH PLATE RESULTING IN A NO-LATCH OR FALSE-LATCH CONDITION.FORD'S SUPPLIER AUTOLIV, INC. PROVIDED BUCKLE COVERS WITHOUT THE ANTI-RATTLE POST BEGINNING IN OCTOBER 2000.RECALL SCOPE:THE AFFECTED VEHICLES ARE 2001 MODEL YEAR FORD ESCAPE AND MAZDA TRIBUTE BUILT AT THE CLAYCOMO (KANSAS CITY), MISSOURI ASSEMBLY PLANT THROUGH MAY 31, 2001.RECALL REMEDY:FORD-LINCOLN-MERCURY AND MAZDA DEALERS, RESPECTIVELY, WILL REPLACE BOTH DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER SAFETY BELT BUCKLE COVERS WITH NEWLY DESIGNED SERVICE BUCKLE COVERS.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.
Manufacturer listed on the source record: Ford Motor Company
Component listed on the source record: SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
Affected Vehicles (1)
| Year | Make | Model |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Ford | Escape |
Browse Affected Vehicles
Affected Models
Affected Years
All data is sourced from NHTSA public records. This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or any government agency. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and may not reflect confirmed defects. For official information, visit nhtsa.gov.
Latest vehicle import recorded anywhere on this site: Oct 8, 2026. Individual vehicles and datasets may have older records; this is not this page's update date.