I need to replace the Drivers side rear (2nd seat, not 3rd seat) seat belt assembly. The seat belt retractor is frozen and will not budge. My local boneyard (er, I mean, automotive recycling facility) has some of these seat belt assemblies, but they came off of sedans, not the wagon. Can anyone tell me if the rear seat belt assemblies are identical between the 97 Taurus sedans and wagons?
I have checked my factory service manual, can’t tell from it whether the parts are the same or not.
Did you buy this vehicle NEW or used??? If you bought this NEW in 97…MOST manufacturers offer a life-time warranty on seat-belts. Take it back to the dealer to get a new replacement.
Thanks for the idea, but alas I bought it used.
Normally, when ownership of a car is transferred, any existing warranty coverage transfers to the new owner. So, if the manufacturer gave a lifetime warranty on the seatbelts, wouldn’t the current owner be able to avail himself of this coverage–whether or not he was the person who purchased it when new? Or does Ford only want the purchasers of new cars to be safe in the event of a collision?
I just called the local Ford dealer and they say there is not a lifetime warranty on seat belts. Looks like I am on my own.
First off…Not ALL manufacturers cover this warranty. I wasn’t sure if Ford did or not. I know Nissan, Honda and Toyota have life-time warranties on seatbelts. But unfortunetly it’s a limited life-time-warranty. It’s only good for the person who purchased the vehicle new.
Well, you can buy the retractor alone through Ford - the price for one for the driver’s side rear seat of a sedan is the same for the driver’s side rear for a station wagon IF the station wagon does not have the auxiliary rear seat. I don’t know if the parts are identical, but I would wager that you could NOT use an assembly from a sedan in a wagon with an auxiliary rear seat.
Also, watch what you buy carefully - some 1999s were recalled for seatbelt retractor problems. Honestly, considering this is a major safety item and the genuine Ford part new is not that expensive, I would not even consider buying a used part in this case.
(FYI, it is $56.13 for a wagon with an aux rear seat, $72.62 for one without at http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/index.cfm?siteid=213787)
Hey thanks. I think I will go ahead and get a new unit from the dealer and install that. The price is not that much more than for a junkyard one…