The 1989 Ford Festiva has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 265,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 54 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the seat belts. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SEAT BELTS95V1030111995-06-27265,000 affected
Defect
THE FRONT SAFETY BELT BUCKLE RELEASE BUTTONS CAN BREAK. THESE RED PLASTIC RELEASE BUTTONS ARE MARKED "PRESS." IF A BUTTON BREAKS, PIECES CAN FALL INTO THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY CAUSING THE BUCKLE TO OPERATE IMPROPERLY.
Consequence
THE SAFETY BELTS WOULD NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION TO AN OCCUPANT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy
OWNERS SHOULD PROMPTLY CHECK THE CONDITION AND OPERATION OF BOTH FRONT SAFETY BELT BUCKLES AND CAREFULLY INSPECT THE RED RELEASE BUTTON FOR ANY BREAKS OR CRACKS. THEY SHOULD ENSURE THAT BOTH BUCKLES ARE OPERATING PROPERLY BY INSERTING EACH LATCH PLATE INTO ITS BUCKLE, TUGGING ON THE BELT TO MAKE SURE THAT LATCH IS…
Complaints by component
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
33
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
5
4fires
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE
3
SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
1
1fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
1
1fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
1
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
1
1fires
Total complaints54
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Vehicle just stopped without prior warning. Consumer said that vehicle was making noise, then it just quit. *ak”
“Wiring held in an unpadded clamp, which rubbed off insulation over time, resulted in a fire while the vehicle was (luckily) in for other repairs. The parts supplier mentioned that the same thing happened to a friend of his, but while driving at speed, and caused even more damage. The fire started…”
“The lighting system shorted out, resulting in a fire. *ak *yc”
“Right and left side rear seatbelts are jammed and red release button is broken.”
“Ignition switch overheats and smokes. Blower fan also quits at frequent intervals. Smoke came up out of the steering column at one point. There is a persistant problem with this when I try to run the air conditioning system. I would like to get this fixed with a new updated switch before it burns…”
“Ignition switch overheats and smokes. Blower fan also quits at frequent intervals. Smoke came up out of the steering column at one point. There is a persistant problem with this when I try to run the air conditioning system. I would like to get this fixed with a new updated switch before it burns…”
“Seat belt recall work denied due to original inspection revealing no problem with buckles, after inspection buckles failed. (qcaw)”
“Ignition failed.”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE89139 Opened 1989-07-06 · closed 1989-10-31
REAR SAFETY BELT
===
InvestigationPE90083 Opened 1990-05-25 · closed 1990-09-27
SEAT SEPARATION
There is no summary currently available
InvestigationPE95013 Opened 1995-02-23 · closed 1995-07-28
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1989 Ford Festiva as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.