Front Seat Belt Buckle Assembly problems of the 1999 Mercury Sable

: the contact stated while driving 35mph, the vehicle was involved in a front impact collision and the airbags did not deploy. Although both occupants were wearing seatbelts, the buckle assembly did not lock resulting in forward motion, which caused the occupants to strike the dash panel area. Minor injuries were sustained. The vehicle had moderate damage. The police were on the scene and a report was taken. The vehicle was not seen by a dealer.

Driver's seat belt does not latch securely everytime. Seat belt becomes unlatched while driving for no apparant reason. This problem occurred many times since the purchase two years ago. I rarely have passengers so it is unknown if problem extends to the other seat belts.

The rear center shoulder belt hooks over a pin on the buckle. There is no positive lock or unlock mechanism. We followed the instructions in the owner's manual about how to connect the rear center shoulder belt. The shoulder belt suddenly disconnects when the passenger happens to move a certain way. The belt rapidly retracts and the metal buckle hits the right rear passenger in the face or eye. A positve lock should be installed so the rear center shoulder belt will stay latched until it is intentionally released. This car was rented from hertz company in maui, hawaii, so I do not know details such as VIN number.