2002 Mercury Grand Marquis Air Bags & Restraints Problems

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that after securely latching the seat belt, the driver's side front and passenger's side front seat belt buckles unintendedly unlatched. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 01V227001 (Seat Belts). The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case, but no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

THE SEAT BELTS WILL NOT STAY ATTACHED. YOU CAN PUT THEM ON AND THEY APPEAR TO BE LOCKED IN AND YOU CAN PULL ON THEM TO SEE IF THEY ARE ATTACHED AND THEY APPEAR TO ATTACH BUT THEN WHILE JUST SITTING, THEY MAY POP-OFF YOU AND BECOME DISENGAGED LEAVING YOU WITHOUT YOUR SEAT BELT ON YOU. THIS CAN OCCUR IF THE CAR IS IN MOTION OR IF IT IS STANDING STILL. SOMETIMES IT WILL EVEN POP-OFF RIGHT AFTER YOU PUT IT IN THE BUCKLE. THEY ARE FAULTY. WE CALLED FORD AND THEY WILL NOT DO ANYTHING TO REPAIR OR RECALL IT. I TALKED TO 2 PEOPLE AT FORD CUSTOMER CARE AND SENT THEM AN EMAIL, ALSO BUT THEY WILL NOT DO ANYTHING TO HELP US. WE ALSO CONTACTED A MERCURY DEALER WHO TOLD US TO CALL FORD.

BOTH BACK SEAT BELTS DON'T RETRACT AS THEY SHOULD, THE TEST WAS DONE WHEN VEHICLE IS STOPPED BUT I CHECKED MY OTHER GRANDMARQUIS OF 1997, IT HAS THE SAME ISSUE. I ALSO TOOK IT A MECHANIC AND THEY CHECKED TWO DIFFERENT BUT FORD CROWN VICTORIA, IT SNOWED THE SAME ISSUE. ALL VEHICLES WERE STATIONARY DURING TEST. IS THERE ANY SAFETY TEST I CAN PERFORM TO MAKE SURE THEY WORK OR RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE.

SEAT BELTS WILL NOT RETRACT AFTER USE AND ARE STUCK.

I SWERVED TO AVOID AN ANIMAL IN THE ROAD AND HIT A TELEPHONE POLE HEAD ON AT 35 MPH. MY AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED. THE FRONT END OF THE CAR WAS CRUMPLED WELL INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE POLICE, FIRE DEPT AND EMT'S WERE ALL VERY SURPRISED THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I HAVE SUSTAINED SOME INJURIES BUT NOTHING LIFE THREATENING. (CRACKED RIBS, SOFT TISSUE DAMAGE, LOWER BACK INJURY). NO OTHER VEHICLES WERE INVOLVED IN THE ACCIDENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2002 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. THE CONTACT STATED HE WAS INVOLVED A ROLLOVER CRASH AND THE DRIVERS AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE ROLLOVER WAS CAUSED BY THE VEHICLE BEING DRIVEN OFF OF THE ROADWAY. THE CONTACT DID NOT KNOW THE SPEED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING AT. THE VEHICLE WAS DETERMINED TO BE DESTROYED. THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT APPEARED ON THE SCENE AND CUT THE CONTACT OUT OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED TO DETERMINE WHY THE DRIVERS AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY EVEN THOUGH THE PASSENGER AIR BAG DEPLOYED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 130,000. UPDATED 01/05/12*LJ UPDATED 01/12/12

AIR BAGS ARE RENDERED INOPERATIVE BY FAILURE OF A SENSOR IN THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT PRETENSIONER. FLASHES CODE 3-4. PART IN QUESTION IS OEM NUMBER 2W7Z54611B09AAA. FORD ADVISES THAT PART IS DISCONTINUED, NO REPLACEMENT PARTS AVAILABLE. NO OTHER EXPLANATION. THIS LEAVES TWO CHOICES: DRIVE WITHOUT AIRBAG PROTECTION OR REPLACE VEHICLE. THIS CAR HAS LESS THAN 16,000 MILES ON IT AND NEED NOT BE REPLACED. HOW CAN A SAFETY CRITICAL ITEM BE DISCONTINUED IN LESS THAN 6 YEARS. THIS PART IS REQUIRED TO BE REPLACED IN THE EVENT OF AN AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT AND, AS IN MY CASE, WHEN THE SENSOR FAILED. *TR

FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT DISCONNECTS FOR NO APPARENT REASON. IT HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS. THE PERSON RIDING IN THE SEAT WAS AN ADULT ON EVERY OCCASION. I FOUND A RECALL ONLINE FROM 2001, BUT WAS TOLD BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY THAT MY CAR IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY SO WOULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. I HAVE NEVER BEEN NOTIFIED OF ANY RECALLS.MY CAR STILL LOOKS LIKE NEW AND I DON'T PLAN ON GETTING RID OF IT ANYTIME SOON. BUT I ALSO CAN'T HAVE MY PASSENGER WORRYING ABOUT THE SEAT BELT COMING UNDONE. ESPECIALLY IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR