1993 DODGE COLT Complaints

RECALL 97V073002/ SEAT BELT BUCKLES. TWO YEARS AFTER THE RECALL HAD BEEN PERFORMED THE GUIDE RAIL FAILED. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. DEALER WILL REPAIR THE VEHICLE AT THE OWNER'S EXPENSE. *AK

RECALL 97V0730000; PASSENGER'S SEATBELT MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE SEATBELT TO BECOME INOPERATIVE, WHICH WONT PROTECT THE OCCUPANT IN EVENT OF A CRASH. PREVIOUSLY, THE DEALER FIXED THE SEATBELT UNDER RECALL REPAIRS. BUT THE PROBLEM HAS REOCCURRED. PROBLEM REPAIRS AT CHRYSLER'S EXPENSE. *AK *ML

THE DRIVER'SIDE SHOULDER BELT WAS REPLACED THROUGH RECALL IN 1997. IT HAD ORIGINALLY FAILED SEVERAL MONTHS PRIOR TO THAT. AT THAT TIME, I REQUESTED THE PASSENGER SIDE SHOULDER BELT ALSO BE REPLACED, BUT DEALER INFORMED ME IT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL. SINCE THEN, THE PASSENGER SIDE SHOULDER BELT HAD FAILED NUMEROUS TIMES, IN THAT IT FAILED TO RETRACT AS DESIGNED WHEN I STARTED THE CAR. I COULD OFTEN MAKE IT DEPLOY BY OPENING AND CLOSING THE DOOR AND "TIMING" THE IGNITION JUST RIGHT--BUT THIS DIDN'T ALWAYS WORK. FINALLY, IT FAILED COMPLETELY; IT HAS NOT WORKED AT ALL FOR MOST OF 1999. THE DRIVER'S SIDE ALSO OCCASIONALLY SHOWS THIS SYMPTOM. BUT IT ALSO SOMETIMES RETRACTS WHILE I'M DRIVING, WHICH PUTS IT IN A PLACE WHERE IT RESTRICTS MY ABILITY TO STEER THE CAR. CALLS TO FUSZ HAVE ONLY GOT ME RUDE RESPONSES. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. MY PASSENGERS AND I ARE NOT PROTECTED. I WANT TO WEAR PROPER RESTRAINT--I DON'T NEED A LAW TO TELL ME SO--BUT I AM PREVENTED FROM IT THROUGH FAULTY MANUFACTURING AND/OR DESIGN. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. *AK

FRONT LAP BELT HAS WORN OUT, THE MATERIAL IS UNRAVELING ON THE SIDE, AND THERE IS A HOLE IN THE MIDDLE. THE PARTS ARE NOT BEING MANUFACTURED ANYMORE. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK

DODGE ISSUED A RECALL IN 1997 ON AUTOMATIC SEATBELTS. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT AND ASSUMED THAT MY SEATBELTS WOULD BE REPAIRED COMPLETELY (IT IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE). I RETURNED THE NEXT DAY TO PICK UP MY CAR. THE DRIVER'S SIDE AUTOMATIC BELT WORKED, BUT THE PASSENGER SIDE DID NOT. THEY SAID "WE'LL LOOK AT IT AGAIN. IT'S PROBABLY JUST A CROSSED-WIRE". I WENT BACK TO RETRIEVE MY CAR LATER IN THE DAY AND NEITHER THE DRIVER NOR THE PASSENGER SIDES AUTOMATIC SEATBELTS WERE WORKING. I ASKED WHY. THE REPAIR REPRESENTATIVE THEN SAID THAT DODGE WAS ONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR REPLACING THE TRACKING OF THE AUTOMATIC SEATBELTS AND THAT NOTHING ELSE WAS COVERED IN THE RECALL. I ASKED WHY NEITHER BELTS WERE WORKING NOW WHEN ONE HAD BEEN WORKING PROPERLY EARLIER IN THE DAY. SHE THEN REPEATED THAT THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT. I HAVE CONTACTED BLACKWELL DODGE AND THEY REFUSE TO HELP ME IN THIS MATTER. SEATBELTS ARE REQUIRED BY LAW AND IN SOME STATES IS BECOMING MORE COMMON FOR POLICE OFFICERS TO ISSUE TICKETS WHEN THEY SEE YOU DRIVING WITHOUT YOUR SEATBELT. I ONLY HAVE A LAP RESTRAINT AND I DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH ONLY A LAP BELT. I WISH THAT DODGE AND ALL OF THE OTHER MANUFACTURERS OF THESE "AUTOMATIC SEATBELTS" WOULD REPLACE THESE UNPREDICABLE DEVICES WITH MANUAL RESTRAINTS FOUND IN ALL NEWLY MANUFACTURED CARS TODAY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I HOPE SOMETHING GOOD CAN COME OF THIS SITUATION. *AK

DRIVER'S SIDE SHOULDER BELT RETRACTOR IS BROKEN, THE SEAT BELT IS STUCK IN THE MIDDLE, AND WON'T RETRACT. *AK

RECALL 97V-073 002/DRIVER SIDE GUIDE RAIL WAS RECEIVED AND REPAIRED; VEHICLE EXPERIENCING PROBLEM WITH PASSENGER SIDE GUIDE RAIL NOT FUNCTIONNING. WOULD LIKE NHTSA TO PROVIDE HELP OR INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS MATTER, AND WHY WOULD THEY CORRECT ONE PROBLEM, BUT NOT THE OTHER. *AK

WHEN THE SEATBELT IS PUT ON , IT GOES FORWARD AND GETS CAUGHT HALF WAY BETWEEN THE DOOR. *AK

WHILE DRIVING DRIVER'S SEAT DISENGAGED FROM THE POSITION THAT IT WA S SUPPOSE TO BE LOCKED IN; IT SNAPPED AND SLID TO THE REAR. IT HAS CAUSED AN ACCIDENT, ONLY DAMAGING THE VEHICLE. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK

MOTORIZED SHOULDER SEAT BELT RETRACTOR CABLE CAME OUT OF COVER. SHOULDER BELT LOCKED IN WHEN THE DOOR WAS SHUT. WILL BE TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALER. *AK *ML