Seven problems related to front seat belt retractor have been reported for the 1999 Ford Contour. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
I have had problems with the seat belts in my car for about a year. Both seat belts in the front don't seem to retract and get tangeled and twisted all the time. I have manually adjusted them everytime I drove. Just 5 months ago I was involved in a car accident, I was stopped in traffic at a light and was rear ended causing me to hit the car infront of me. I hit my head on the steering wheel causing me a concusion. My seat belt did not retract to hold me back and the air bag did not deploy. I have called Ford and they told me that I should pay for the seat belts to be fixed and they did not metion anything about the airbag. I managed to untangle the seat belts on my car and I have noticed that the buckles are facing the wrong way. This I compared to other cars and Fords as well.
The front seat belts constantly get twisted and locked up. You have to stop and undo it to get it fixed. Also interior light will just come on. At 4 am on morning I just happened to look out and it was on. ?????? ts.
Seat belt fails to retract when unbuckling the belt and exiting the vehicle, consumer states it's happened daily for 2 months.
Both front seat belt mechanisms frequently jam and non-functional. On several occasions I have managed to free them with time and effort. The last time, I was unable to unjam the belt and had to leave it at the dealership to be repaired. Dealer says Ford does not warranty seatbelts and I will have to pay the inevitable next time this happens.
Front seat belt retractors do not retract for use or after use. Would be very limp in lap. Belts get twisted while retracting, but not completely. Taking vehicle to dealer to check belts out.
Both front seat belts would get tangled up and would not retract. Dealer notified, had both belts replaced on two occasions, problem still reoccurring.
Seat belt retractors consistently jam. This makes them useless in the event of an accident. The design of the front seatbelt mechanism (regardless of how far up or back the seat is adjusted) cause the belts to twist and jam. In order to unjam them, you must stop the car and fight with the seatbelts. Any movement loosens them and they do not retract. If there is an accident, the seatbelts are likely to cause more harm than protection.