NHTSA Recall 00V228001: Seat belts
FORD MOTOR COMPANY reported this safety recall to NHTSA on , covering an estimated 144,435 vehicles. It affects 10 models including the Ford Contour.
| NHTSA campaign | 00V228001 |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer campaign | 00S21 |
| Component | SEAT BELTS |
| Report received | August 18, 2000 |
| Owner notification | October 26, 2000 |
| Initiated by | Manufacturer |
Defect
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and MINI vans equipped with trw seat belt buckle assemblies. The buckle base of these seat belt assemblies were not properly heat treated and therefore do not pass the load bearing requirement of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, "seat belt assemblies."
Safety risk
In the event of a vehicle crash, the occupant may not be properly restrained.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the date code on certain seat belt buckles of your vehicle and replace all seat belt buckles that fall within the suspect date code range. Owner notification began october 26, 2000. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Notes
Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Vehicles covered by recall 00V228001
| Make and model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Contour | 2000 |
| Ford Escort | 2000 |
| Ford Explorer | 2000 |
| Ford F-150 | 2000 |
| Ford Ranger | 2000 |
| Ford Windstar | 2000 |
| Lincoln Town Car | 2000 |
| Mercury Mountaineer | 2000 |
| Mercury Mystique | 2000 |
| Mercury Villager | 2000 |
Being listed here means the campaign covers the model year, not that every car was built with the defect or is still unrepaired. Enter your VIN above to check your specific vehicle. Recall repairs are free at authorised dealers. Source: NHTSA, October 2026.