Defective second row seat seatbelt configuration.

[shermtime]

Has anyone tried to have any three people (including children above the age of about 7!) sit together in the backseat of the new 2012 Ford Explorer? It is impossible to do so without sitting on top of one of the buckles! You would need a butt measuring about 6 inches across! This is a MAJOR problem for anyone with large families or who (like myself) has to carpool 10 year olds on a regular basis! Pain in the butt (literally)! I have someone from Ford Motor Co. looking into my complaint now, but I can't believe that others aren't already complaining about it more! Really turns this 7 seater into a 6 seater, which is not what I need. I am going to try to return this vehicle if the problem is not fixable! Anybody else who has experienced this urgent problem? What have you done it about it, if anything? What if we just making lease payments until the problem has been corrected? This was a CRAZY oversight by the testers of this vehicle, don't you think?

 

[JDraper]

The back row isn't designed for 3 people, it's designed for 2. If you have a bench seat in the middle row, it's designed to take 3 people, giving you seating for 7 (2 front, 3 middle, 2 rear). If you got the bucket seats in the second row, then the vehicle is designed to hold 6 people.

 

[Joe Dirt]

 

[shermtime]

Of course, I bought the 7 seater -- not the one with bucket seats! Problem is SO BAD that I will be trying to return the vehicle, as it is NOT A 7 SEATER, as my local Ford dealer agrees, because of the faulty seatbelt configuration that they could do nothing about!

 

[Joe Dirt]

40-20-40 rear seats have been in vehicles for a long time. The belts are not defective. Even my 2003 had a 40-20-40 rear seat. Did you look at the vehicle before signing on it?

 

[1Aauto]

Welcome to the site

 

[shermtime]

Arghhhhhh!!!!!!

Joe, I test drove the vehicle and sat it in numerous times before leasing it, of course! What idiot wouldn't? The only thing I did not do, but now wish I had (because then I would never have leased this vehicle) is sit in the middle seat with two other people next to me, ALL BUCKLED IN!!!! With the new larger air bag seat belts and larger buckles sticking out at a strange angle, it is impossible to sit in the middle seat without sitting atop a buckle. This is clearly a MISTAKE by Ford. No judge would disagree. I cannot fit three children in the backseat (let alone three adults), with everyone safely buckled in! This is not the usual 40-20-40 set up, trust me. I have had numerous smaller SUVs before this one with a second row which comfortably fit 3 people -- this one does NOT! Better yet, go sit in one, WITH TWO OTHER PASSENGERS. Anyone needing 7 seats should not buy this vehicle until the problem is rectified!

 

[shermtime]

Anybody out there with the 2012 Ford Explorer in their possession? Anybody who has sat in the back of one with two other people buckled in in a dealership? I need to hear from you please. The Service Manager of a Ford dealer who recently serviced my car totally agrees with me (but says I have to take it up with Ford in Detroit). Need some support here!

 

[shermtime]

Should I be in a different forum to get more attention to this matter???????

Please...need some help here. What is the next step? Customer Service in Detroit (Millie) has lamely told me that there is nothing to be done; this is the way the car was designed. Give me a break! Designed for people in the back seat to sit on a seatbelt buckle? If so, the designers are FOOLS! This is a 6 seater, not a 7 seater. We are not talking a typical 40-20-40 set-up. Try 45, 10, 45 ! Ridiculous! What is my next step to get some action on this? Any way they will be able to substitute non-airbag seat belts in the back for the existing airbag seat belts, which is what I believe is the root of the problem? The Ford dealership in Danbury where I leased the car from has no answer for me. What do I do next short of hiring a lawyer to represent me in this matter? Do I get the leasing company involved by refusing to pay until this matter is resolve?HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[JDraper]

I'm not sure what you want anyone on this forum to do. We're not connected with Ford, it's an owners forum. We can't force Ford to see things your way and we can't alter the vehicle design to suit your needs. They are right, they designed it as it is and I don't see ANY car company changing a design because one person is screaming about it.

Maybe try working with either Cory or Rebecca from Ford customer service that frequent this forum, but I'll bet you're not going to get far. They market it as a 6 or 7 seater dependent upon the configuration, so I'm pretty sure that they're going to say you should have done more homework before purchasing.

If you're that upset about it, sell it and buy something else or contact a lawyer.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Hire a lawyer and talk to him.

 

[Turdle]

My butt is exactly 6 inches wide so I'll trade with ya.

 

[BrooklynBay]

 

[IZwack]

My butt is exactly 6 inches wide

I can attest to this, I've measured it.

 

[cwolf2]

I don't know of any vehicle that has the seats belts in the back seat set at 33/33/33, they have always been 40/20/40. I don't think you are going to have any luck with Ford on this.

 

[JDraper]

I can attest to this, I've measured it.

Waaaayyy too much information there....

 

[shermtime]

OK, you "skinny" wise-*****. This is not simply a matter of slight discomfort. I challenge anyone out there who is interested to walk into a dealer who has a 2010 Ford Explorer Limited on the lot, sit in the middle seat, buckle all three seat buckles, and tell me you don't have a buckle sticking in each butt cheek! NO WAY to put your back against the seat and VERY uncomfortable to drive any distance like that! Definitely a defective design that needs to be fixed. Of course, I know that I could contact a lawyer but I was seeking someone's suggestion for how I might find out reach out to other 2012 Ford Explorer Limited owners to get some group support for this complaint so that I am not a lone ranger complaining about this! Would love to see if I can get some action before having to go to the trouble and expense of a lawsuit! Any ideas anyone?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Your thread was moved into the stock 2011 + section. I don't think that a lawyer will try to sue Ford to make the Explorer wider. They will tell you to look for another vehicle. I understand that this is frustrating since you thought that it has more seating capacity, but realistically speaking, it doesn't have the amount of room that you need.

 

[shermtime]

Defective Second Row Seatbelt Configuration

Obviously I meant the 2012 Ford Explorer Limited (without bucket seats)... I am not trying to make the back seat wider; just need the buckles moved (safely) so someone can sit in between them in the middle seat! The dealers won't do it without direction from Ford Motor Company obviously. Where are all the other people who want to put three in the back seat of this car???? Can I be the only person shocked to find out about this defective seatbelt configuration? I will not let this matter rest until I get some action! Hopefully it will get some attention from other 2012 Ford Explorer Limited owners in the 2011 + Ford Explorer forum. Thanks for transferring it there!

 

[BrooklynBay]

You could try a shop that specializes in interior customization (seat upholstery, headliners, limousine coach building, etc). I'm sure that a shop like this will be able to cut a new opening for the seatbelt latch, and stitch up the former opening.