Since I also wanted to wash the seat belts, I disassembled the buckle.

It's common for this spring to fatigue & break, which can lock the buckle. But it's common to all Fords with this shape of buckle, so it's easy to find one in a junkyard & swap it in. Just be sure to get the spring from the same side that you need since the driver's buckle parts are all specific to fit with the switch.

Owner caption January 2006 · Photo 627 of 980