Front Seat Belt Buckle Assembly problems of the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer

The airbag light will flash, then continuously stay on. Had taken to a certified Ford dealership to have it checked out and/or repaired on 3-15-06. The service advisor stated that even though we have an additional vehicle service contract, it will not cover any safety devices after 50,000 miles. The service advisor then gave us an estimate on the parts and labor which are approx. $232. 00. The service advisor stated that the right hand buckle pretensioner needs replaced. If it does not get repaired and the light continues to stay on, then if we (meaning, my husband, son, daughter and myself) are in an accident requiring our airbags to deploy, there is a high possibility that they will not deploy, which could be fatal (god forbid), for my family and/or any other family that may have had the same experience with their vehicle. I personally feel this matter needs to be investigated and there should be a recall made on every vehicle. I had called the customer service number to speak to a representative through our vehicle service contract, in hopes to get some satisfaction that they would pay this, but to no prevail I was told that since the vehicle was over 50,000 miles it covers no, and I repeat no safety equipment, so therefore they pay 0 dollars towards any safety malfunctions/failures with your vehicle. I have also contacted Ford customer service and have made a complaint concerning this matter. I just hope that some justice can be made to resolve this matter with our vehicle and possibly others as well.

When trying to pull out of seat belt for more room seat belt bolts snapped, causing the seat belt to hang. Consumer not to have seat belt on while driving. Dealer notified.