Seat Belt Tensioners (2002 Tundra)

[filhiol]

I have a 2002 Tundra and have suffered slow to no retracting seat belts since I bought it new. Finally went to a local dealer with my problem and Toyota is not only going to replace the tensioners but also the seatbelts as the service manager says that them come in a kit. All at no charge under the extended seat belt warranty. Hopefully this ends this annoying problem once and for all.

[filhiol]

Just got back from having new seat belts and tensioners replaced on the Tundra no charge. It took about one and half-hours to do and they work great. Such an improvement over the ones that came with the truck. Anyone having similar trouble might want to check their warranty book and see if you still have time. It was definitely worth it especially since it did not cost me a dime.

[atrdnut]

Glad you got everything worked out!

Did the service mgr. say there was a 'TSB' (Technical Service Bulletin) for this particular problem?

[Mike Donofrio]

Interesting. How long is this 'extended seatbelt warranty'?

[filhiol]

No service bulletin that I know of. When I brought my truck in for 02-sensor problems and they replaced both exhaust manifolds and the upstream sensors under warranty I just asked them to check my seatbelt problem. When I picked up my truck the service writer, who has always been a heck of a nice guy, told me they were ordering new seat belt tensioners and belts. I checked my warranty manual and it shows that my truck has a 5 year or 60,000 mile warranty on the restraint system, which includes seat belts, and the air bag system. If the vehicle would have been sold and registered in Kansas the warranty is 10 years regardless of mileage (go figure).

[RA_Flyer]

March 25, 2005

I have a 2003 Toyota Avalon. I haven't owned the car for two years yet, and I've had ongoing problems with the seat belts not retracting properly when getting in and out of the car. In fact - this problem has been so bad recently that the metal clip from the seat belt keeps getting slammed in the door whenever anybody gets in or out of the car, because it naturally falls into the door pathway whenever anybody exits the vehicle.

Today, I took the car in to have normal service done - and the dealer is going to replace the driver's side seatbelt under warranty. I'm glad this much is being done - but I have damage to the paint on the inside of the doorway - and the inside leather has been damaged on both sides of the car because the clip has sliced through the leather when the door was closed. Has anyone got the dealers to cover the damage that is done as a result of this design problem??

RA_Flyer

[TetTundra]

I have a few minor complaints with my 03 Tundra, but none that BUG me as much as the seat belt (lack of adequate) retraction. I've had the seat belt replaced under warranty. That worked for only a few days, then it was back to sluggish. I also read another TS members posts regarding opening a wider slot in the seat belt hanger (don't know the terminology). There's about 1/16th inch clearance in my hanger, so it's not that. Also, if I clean the hanger slot well, then the belt retracts nicely for about a day. If I just test the retractor between the hanger and the retractor unit, the belt retracts quickly. My theory is that "stuff" gets on the belt and friction slows it down thru the hanger. Stuff might be dust, link, static electricity, dog hair...who knows. I've thought about spraying dry silicone on the hanger slot, but then I'd get it on my clothes too. Or maybe it's the geometry of the set up. I bet the belts work fine in the lab, but practically speaking, they need re-engineering. And while they're at it, can they get rid of that annoying click in the hanger assembly?

[filhiol]

Believe it or not, my retractors seem to be getting stronger every time I use them. The driver side, which gets the most work, just about jumps out of my hand when I unbuckle. The Passenger side is not quite as fast but is still a lot faster than the original. It gets the least work. My wife's new Lexus has extremely good retraction on all of the belts - hopefully this continues. If anyone is still having problems and their vehicle is still under the seatbelt warranty, bring it back to the dealer. The service writer that I have dealt with just about insists that if you are not satisfied with any work they do on your vehicle bring it back. They are rated on complaints and don't want any.

[daveferg]

On my 2002 Tundra---FYI---we were at our Toyota dealer buying a new car, and I asked the Parts Mgr. if the 2002 seatbelt problem had been addressed in their replacement parts offered. He wasn't sure but asked about the problem---that the belt was slow or wouldn't retract.

While the truck was long out of warranty, they replaced it free of charge. Of course it helped that my earlier complaint when under warranty, had been documented.

Two points---pays to do business with one place. and if they don't fix something right, keep pushing the issue.

Dave