Vehicle recall 01V144000 · April 27, 2001
Mercury Sable and Ford Taurus
Vehicle description: passenger cars.
Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.
- Summary
- Vehicle description: passenger cars. The seat belt buckle tongue may not fully eject from the buckle assembly when the release button is pushed slowly. This condition could also result in a partial latch of the tongue in the buckle.
- Consequence
- In the event of a vehicle crash, the vehicle occupant may not be properly restrained, possibly resulting in personal injury or death.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the driver and right front passenger seat belt buckles. Owner notification began may 4, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
- Notes
- Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration=s auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).
Recall details
- NHTSA campaign
- 01V144000
- Reported to NHTSA
- April 27, 2001
- Filed by
- FORD MOTOR COMPANY
- Manufacturer campaign
- 01S16
- Owner notification
- May 4, 2001
- Vehicles potentially affected
- 4,567
- Initiated by
- the manufacturer
- Components
- Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
Vehicles covered
As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.
- Ford Taurus (2001): 2001
- Mercury Sable (2001): 2001
Has your Ford been repaired?
Recalls here come from NHTSA’s records for the model and year. Not every vehicle of a model is included in every recall, and this site can’t see whether a repair has been done. Only a VIN lookup can tell you that.
NHTSA’s VIN search doesn’t show recalls that were already repaired, recalls more than 15 years old, or some small manufacturers’ recalls. Recall repairs are free.