For what it's worth I took Fast Gator's advice and emailed Colletti. They already got back to me and forwarded my email to a Mr. Scott McKelvy at Ford.Com. Not sure what's going on yet, Ill let you folks know when it is resolved.

 

 

Cool....keep us informed

 

six speed is everthing still on for this weekend?

 

Please don't take this as a flame, but I'm not to sure what's to be resolved other than putting the bolt back in and making sure it's snug and not stripped. If it were me, I would just do it myself and save the hassle from having to go to a dealer and possibly leaving the truck there. Other than acknowledging that somebody screwed up big time, what is it that you would like resolved? Glad you discovered it before something seriously happened though.

 

thats how i felt, it could of been a HUGE lawsuit but nothing happened so i just bolted it back myself and let it go.

 

I do believe that you answeared your question. Somebody screwed up. What I want resolved is for this to not happen to somebody esle (which it has) which, if injuries or worse were to happen would become a huge lawsuit. Now taking loss of limb and life out of the mix and thinking of myself, it comes down to living in a litigeous (sp) society makes everything cost more.

That last statement is self-serving I know, and thats not where I am coming from. I am coming from the safety issue of our children, and for those adults with kids who know what I am talking about, understand that your outlook on life changes when you get married and even more when you have kids.

I do apologize for the seriousness and normally I am not like this. I did get a email just a little bit ago from SVT stating simply When I asked what exactly that meant and what I should do, to that there has not been a response yet.

Sorry for the rant

 

I totally understand, but unfortuantely we are dealing with humans and there will always be mistakes made. It wasn't my question to be answered, as I was just curious as to what you were looking for. All we can do is hope that the mistakes are caught before it causes any serious problem. It's good that you made Ford aware of it, and maybe this well make them look a little closer at the seatbelt bolts before it passes inspection.

 

Yes exactly. If I didn't make at least one mistake a day, then I probably never got up out of bed.

But you are right. I just think safety goes along with quality control. I'll keep you guys posted.

 

It is almost getting to the point where you MUST inspect
every nut/bolt/fit of everything before you buy...guess
when you buy a new L need to get it inspected...how sad
and dangerous...this is why for me when I get the L serviced
always periodically walk by to check on it...never let it out of my sight....so now this is the recommended L check list (please add to
it)....the NEWBIE CHECKLIST!

1.check underneath front fascia for off loading damage.
2.check the seats for loose or missing bolts.
3.have the sparkplugs checked with a manual torque wrench
WHILE your standing there.
4.put the L up on a lift...check for loose or missing anything.
make sure no road kill body parts left.
5.check to see if you have a straight antenna.
6.check the alignment of your rear bed to cab.
7.check the exhaust tips...are they located properly
in the trim fascia (not located too far down...looks bad).
8.check for condensation in taillights.
9.make sure rear window molding/weatherstrip looks presentable.
10.check for the correct tire pressure.
11.if your a religious person, now is the time to pray you
haven't screwed up in either the vehicle or financing.
12.if your not a religious person...pray anyway.
13.make dead sure all fluids are ok...especially intercooler
bottle and oil.

 

might as well get a full take of break in gas. the tank that only lasts 100 miles at the most

 

There was a safety recall on my 01...the seat belt latch was suspect..maybe some others have the problem and the dealership was instructed to fix......a guess...no doubt.....

 

For what it's worth I forwarded the picture and a desciption to a quality guy at Ontario Truck Plant. Being a Ford Employee I don't think it would be a good idea to post his e-mail here, but they will be made aware of the problem. Judging from the way a similar problem is typically reacted to where I work, they'll put some extra emphasis on that station at the assembly plant for a while. As inexcusable as it is, it was a human mistake and they'll see if a way can be found to ensure it doesn't happen again. I would guess that in addition to the person who is supposed to install the bolt, someone down the line further will have to verify it and in our plant we would put some kind of mark somewhere to "certify" that it has been done and checked. That's just a guess.

G

 

Couldn't have said it better myself.

My kid sits in the middle seat lots of times, if that belt ever let lose, you could bet a Lawyer would be writting that letter for me.

Un****ingbelievable, but then again if there's one thing we learned about Ford, it's they DO NOT TIGHTEN ANYTHING the way it should be. Not the windshield gasket, back window gasket, molding, spoilers, front end (clunk), spark plugs, even the main bearing bolts on the HD's.
Great Quality Control Ford

 

Recall Number 96S62



"If a bolt is missing or misinstalled, the protection provided to an occupant by the safety belt could be reduced..." huh

That's an interesting photo, but to me it doesn't look like a factory error. The coating on the treads is teflon tape, because the bolts go through the body to the undercarriage. The tape on the treads looks crushed, as though that bolt has been installed previously. The zip tie was there to make sure nothing got lost and it became overlooked.

My hypothetical, CSI theory:

A customer ordered Lightning was delivered to the dealer with a damaged seat. Rather than ordering a replacement seat from Ford and making their customer wait 2 weeks for delivery, the dealer removed your seat and installed it in his/her truck (or vice versa).

The crushed tape on the treads tells me that bolt was definitely installed at some point.