2003 FORD EXPLORER — Complaint #580757
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about CHILD SEAT:HARNESS:STRAP/WEBBING filed May 1, 2006
NHTSA complaint #580757 (ODI reference 10156539) concerns a 2003 FORD EXPLORER and was filed on May 1, 2006. The owner reports the failure occurred on April 23, 2006. The report was geocoded to Kansas based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as child seat:harness:strap/webbing, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: yes, fire: no, injuries: 0, fatalities: 1. A complaint that flags a crash, fire, or fatality is escalated on NHTSA's internal review queue and factors more heavily into any Preliminary Evaluation decision on this make and model. No VIN was supplied by the filer, so this complaint contributes to model-year trend data but cannot be tied to a specific vehicle.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same FORD EXPLORER cohort independently describe similar child seat:harness:strap/webbing failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2003 FORD EXPLORER shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
I WAS FOLLOWING UP ON THE DEATH OF A 1 MONTH THAT WAS EJECTED FROM A COSCO CHILD SEAT IN A MOTOR VEHICLE TRAIN ACCIDENT. WHILE FOLLOWING UP ON THE DEATH, I WAS LOOKING AT PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE VEHICLE FROM THE INVESTIGATING AGENCY. I NOTICED THERE WERE NO PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE CAR SEAT OR THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE WHERE THE TRAIN HAD STRUCK THE VEHICLE. I WENT TO THE IMPOUND LOT WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS STORED AND MET THE FATHER OF THE DECEASED CHILD. HE WAS COLLECTING PROPERTY FROM THE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. HE SHOWED ME A STROLLER AND THE CAR SEAT. THE STROLLER HAD BEEN EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE AND WAS DAMAGED AND THE CAR SEAT WAS STILL INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THIS CAR SEAT AND STROLLER ARE SOLD AS A SET FROM K-MART AND HAD BEEN PURCHASED IN NOVEMBER OF 2005 IN HUTCHINSON KANSAS. UPON LOOKING AT THE CAR SEAT WHICH WAS REAR FACING IN THE VEHICLE AND STILL STRAPPED IN THE VEHICLE BY THE SEAT BELT. I WAS INFORMED BY THE CAPTAIN OF THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT THAT ONE OF THEIR OFFICERS TRAINED T
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 580757 |
| ODI Number | 10156539 |
| Date Filed | May 1, 2006 |
| Failure Date | April 23, 2006 |
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.