Since the seat belt is arguably the most significant safety feature in a vehicle, design defects can cause serious injury to passengers during an accident. When it is determined that a certain type of seat belt has design flaws, manufacturers may issue a seat belt recall to remove the defective seat belts from the market.

Some recent seat belt recalls issued by manufacturers include:

Dodge Seat Belt Recall: In September 2006, Dodge Recalled nearly 160,000 Ram 1500 pick-up trucks due to defects with the front passenger seat belt. The belts may not tighten properly on certain model child seats. This can increase the risk of injury to the child seat occupant in the event of a crash.

Kia Seat Belt Recall: In July 2006, Kia recalled about 32,000 vehicles that failed to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208. The automatic locking retainer function in the rear outboard seatbelt assemblies may disengage when used with certain child seats. In the event of an accident, this defect poses an increased risk of injury to the seat occupant.

Lexus Seat Belt Recall: In April 2006, Lexus recalled about 57,000 vehicles worldwide due to defective parts in the winding device in the seat belts. The defect could prevent passengers from being able to use the seat belts.

Hyundai Seat Belt Recall: In August 2005, Hyundai recalled nearly 36,000 of its 2006 Sonata vehicles because the front seat belts could interfere with the manual seat back recliner knob.

Ford Seat Belt Recall: In December 2003, Ford issued a recall for 132,000 Escapes manufactured in 2001. The problem was with a post in the seat belt buckle cover. The post could fracture, causing the potential for a “no latch” or “partial latch” situation. This means that the seat belt may appear to be latched but will come unlatched when force is applied to the seat belt.

Since the seat belt is arguably the most fundamental piece of safety equipment in a vehicle, it is crucial that the seat belt system function as intended. Approximately 10,000 Americans die each year because they fail to wear their seatbelts, how many more die each year because the seat belt they were wearing failed?