[george60]

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My 2003 Tundra AC SR5 V8 has the driver's seat belt that does not retract. I did a couple of searches and got no response. In previous years there were quite a few people with First Gen
trucks where the driver seat belt didn't retract.

My question is:

Did anyone have the belt in their Tundra replaced by the dealer?

If so - has it solved the problem?
If you remember - how much did it cost?
Is there a better (and less costly) solution?

Thanks
George60

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[CJM_T100]

The belt itself is fine, the spring inside is the problem.

T100's have the same problem, I rewound the spring inside mine 2x before I said screw it and found one out of a wrecked truck with 25k about 5 years back. Its just starting to have issues retracting with about 100k on it now.

 

[mikeinaustin]

i have a 2002 tundra with 130k miles and my driver side is starting to have this issue. anyone have a diy on the procedure to fix?

 

[mcarthurp]

I enlarged the opening where the belt slides through at the top of the door with a dremmel and mine snaps back like it should. Be careful if you hit the belt you will need to buy a new one.

Pat

 

[vincas2005]

I was going to enlarge the hole to but am hesitant to as what effects it would have as far as safety. It seems like the belt is binding/getting stuck in there. On 03 Corolla 75K miles the belt does same thing Tundra has 150K so i dunno it seem not fair to me.

 

[mikeinaustin]

any other thoughts on this?

 

[tundrawillie]

One thing I did was clean the belt. I opened drivers front and access doors, pulled the belt all the way out and secured it to a saw horse. I soaked the belt with degreaser and hosed it off. I then allowed the sun to dry the belt. It helped quite a bit.

 

[h7009]

mikeinaustin, Hey there had the same problem years ago on a 2000 SR5 AC. It is a "safety" issue, you could go by the dealer and ask about the 'recall" or "safety notice" that was publish (obviously a while ago) But with all of Toyotas other issues I would think they might be helpful......Won't hurt to ask. CSM-H

any other thoughts on this?

 

[PapaPS]

Well i went the other way with mine.......I thought about enlargeing the opening , but the opening was wide enough to begin with........so I pulled my belt all the way out and used a "car" interior seat and upolstery cleaner.....you would not believe how dirty it was......I let it dry and it works almost as good as new....way better.....I can see where I will do it agian to get what I missed the 1st time...as always my .02

 

[HOGWILD]

This should not be too hard a job if you are replacing the assy but would make sure to read the repair manual/FSM for instructions and you need to be careful because they have an explosive charge inside them so if you tear into it to try and repair the spring i would suggest getting someone that has done it before? The guy that designed the seatbelt was the same guy that designed the lower ball joints BTW!:td: I have been having the seat belt problem even before the ball joint problems were invented, goes back to my 1992 Camry & 1993 Toyota PU and i did replace the whole assy on both and it worked fine!
http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_U_2003_TOYOTA_TUNDRA_UCK40L-ARSSKA_7152.html
This stuff should work properly forever but they don't and i have yet to find many cheap replacement parts!

 

[Pilot Pete]

Just as a point of reference, I asked my local service department about this last week. I was told that the only fix was replacement at approximately $350. The non retracting seatbelt is the one thing I REALLY don't like about my Tundra. I've had the issue for about 6 or 7 years and am about ready to spend the $350.

PP

 

[HOGWILD]

I would search around and ask for a discount on parts and labor because the parts MSRP which not too many people pay is around 240.00 and the labor is basic at around 100.00 per hour but you should be able to get 10 to 15% on labor? all they can do is say no so ask for a discount. i am a preferred customer at my Dealership and get 25% off on parts and 10 to 15% on labor because i take all 3 in for all of my non scheduled maintenance. Times are Tiff for the Auto repair guys so they should deal with you if you ask! The make a minimum of 30 to 35% on parts so they can give up some of that if they want your business, plus it does not take 1 hour to replace 1 seatbelt but that is probably what you would be charged so talk them off that rate! Also save your repair bill in case your stuff breaks in the 12 month time frame for Toyota parts warranty!

 

[BamZipPow]

Cleaning the seatbelt (depending on use) can do wonders fer how it responds. Washing it with a degreaser, rinsing, and drying is the recommended method fer keeping the webbing pliable. Over time, the dirty stiff belt will overwork that retractor spring.

Have you ever worked with socks that have been sweated in with dirt? They kinda stand up on their own, right?

 

[dpr64]

From what years would my 2000 Tundra seat belt assembly be compatible with? 2000-2003 or 2000-2006?

Thanks....

 

[george60]

dpr64-------
I'm the original poster for this thread .......
I looked in toyotapartszone.com
and as near as I could tell 2000-2003 are the same
maybe more years
I ordered from these people and guessed the wrong color but the belt was a bolt-in no problem.

Regards
George60

 

[tbm4530]

I had the dealer replace mine but it did not fix, it made it worse by locking up when I would try to put it on. But I fixed both problems. I took off the cover at the bottom drilled a small hole in the inner cover about the size of a lube can straw then used some teflon wax lube in a can that I found at lowes. Stuck the straw in the hole and while working the belt all the way out and in sprayed just a little at a time in the hole I drilled. It has been 4 months and the belt works great.

 

[GK]

Bringing this thread back to the top...

I have an 02 Tundra that like most tundras of this age have retractors that BARELY work. I've tried the "tighten the spring" mod, no luck, didn't change a thing.

I was just about to pull out the belts and wash them as they are very noticeably dirty from a decade of use. BUT when I was standing there about to start wrenching I looked in the backseat.

Question is:

Does anyone know if the back seat seatbelts are the same length as the fronts? Can I just swap them? I don't think the belts in the back have been used 5 times total in 10yrs, they still look new(which are drastically different than the fronts).

I'm just interested in swapping the belts themselves (unless the retractors are swappable too?????)

Thoughts?

 

[GK]

Can anyone answer the question I asked in post #17

 

[RitcheyRch]

This is when I was Toyota was like Honda and warrantied their seat belts for as long as the vehicle is on the road.

 

[jdaniels]

I had the problem of my front seat belts retracting very slowly if at all. I cleaned the belts and sprayed them with silicone spray, it completely fixed the problem.