2017 Ford Explorer seat belts problems
23 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the seat belts on the 2017 Ford Explorer — 1% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“There is a driver's safety-restraint malfunction with a failure mode such that the tongue (male end of seat-belt) will not insert normally into the buckle (female end) unless the red release button is depressed. The driver buckle failure results in a failure in the vehicle's personal safety system…”
filed Sep 9, 2026
“Head on collision occurred XXX. A man was traveling east on XXX and ran the light at the intersection of [XXX]. I was heading south on [XXX] and hit his white truck. My air bags did not deploy. Also, within the last year a seatbelt was not latching properly and I had to get it replaced. In addition…”
filed Sep 3, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Seat Belts problems in other Explorer years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Explorer | 1 | 3% |
| 2025 Explorer | 1 | 1% |
| 2024 Explorer | 1 | 5% |
| 2023 Explorer | 5 | 5% |
| 2022 Explorer | 5 | 2% |
| 2021 Explorer | 3 | 1% |
| 2020 Explorer | 18 | 1% |
| 2019 Explorer | 1 | 0% |
| 2018 Explorer | 7 | 1% |
| 2016 Explorer | 40 | 2% |
| 2015 Explorer | 37 | 2% |
| 2014 Explorer | 27 | 2% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2017 Ford Explorer
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.