general problems of the 2006 Ford Escape

As I got home I tried to unbuckle the seatbelt and it would not release. Multiple tries still didn't help. I had to pull really hard to get it to release and hurt my hand. Each time since has made it significantly worse, it locks in but does not want to release. Took me ten mins to get it unhooked last time I used it.

In 2011, I purchased my used 2006 Ford Escape. About 3 months after purchase, I noticed the passenger side air bag light would activate when an adult would sit in the passenger seat, signifying the air bag was "off" when it should be activated. Today I had my local Ford dealer check the air bag to see if it worked properly. They discovered that not only would the air bag not operate properly in a crash, the seat belt would also fail to lock as it should during a sudden stop or crash. Since there is no recall issued and the vehicle is out of warranty, the cost to repair the seat belt and air bag is all my responsibility. There should be a recall issued for this vehicle and any others known to have this problem. I was told it took a certain number of vehicles to be diagnosed with the same problem before any agency would issue a recall. Even one vehicle with this problem should prompt a recall, because technically, this malfunction could cause serious injury or death in the event of a crash.