Owner-reported complaints naming the seat belt system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1996 Dodge Caravan submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 83 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 83, in the owner's own words
THE BELT LATCHES REGULARLY UNLATCH WHEN BUMPED. I HAVE TWO CHILDREN IN CAR SEATS IN THE BACK SEAT AND IF ONE CHILD BUMPS THE OTHER'S BELT LATCH, IT COMES UNLATCHED MOST OF THE TIME.
1996 DODGE CARAVAN- GEN 3 SEATLBELTS. TWICE THE SEAT BELT HAS COME UNBUCKLED AROUND MY CHILD'S CARSEAT. I JUST HAPPENED TO NOTICE IT. I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW LONG I HAD BEEN DRIVING WITH IT UNLATCHED. AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT (ABOUT A YEAR AGO) I HAVE CHECKED THE SECURITY OF IT EVERY TIME WE GET IN THE CAR. I HAVE NOTICED IT UNLATCHED ONCE MORE SINCE THEN. NOT SURE HOW IT HAPPENED BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING ON OR AROUND THE SEAT THAT COULD HAVE UNLATCH THE BELT. I RECENTLY SAW THE ARTICLE IN THE FEBRUARY ISSUE OF PARENTS MAGAZINE WHICH LED ME TO THE WEBSITE DISCUSSING THE CONCERNS AROUND THESE SEATBELTS. I PERSONALLY AM ALARMED. OUR CARAVAN HAS BEEN OUR MAIN VEHICLE AND I HATE KNOWING MY CHILDREN ARE NOT SAFE. THESE BELTS REALLY NEED TO BE RECALLED. *LA
I OWN A 1996 DODGE CARAVAN AND JUST LEARNED OF THE HAZARDS WITH GEN3 SEAT BELTS. I HAVE THREE CHILDREN AGES 1, 10, AND 12 YEARS. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT MY TODDLERS CARSEAT BEING PROPERLY INSTALLED AND AM COUNTING ON THE SEAT BELT KEEPING MY BABY SAFE DURING AN ACCIDENT.*AK
CHILD INTEGRATED RESTRAINT SYSTEMS LOCATED ON THE MIDDLE BENCH SEAT DID NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. ON BOTH SYSTEMS, THE HARNESS STRAPS TIGHTENED AND BUCKLE WOULD NOT RELEASE. ON ALL THE REAR SEAT BELTS RELEASE BUTTONS ON THE BUCKLES WERE SENSITIVE AND RELEASED WITH LITTLE PRESSURE. *AK
THE SEAT BELT OF THE INTEGRATED CAR SEAT MECHANISM IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. DEALER NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *PH
THE SEAT BELTS IN THE THIRD ROW OF THE VEHICLE DID NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. *JB
GEN 3 SEAT BELTS! MY HUSBAND AND MY 16 MONTH OLD SON ARE EVERYTHING TO ME, WE HAVE A 1996 DODGE CARAVAN AND NOW I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT! PLEASE TAKE THE NECESSARY ACTIONS TO KEEP US SAFE. WE ARE REAL PEOPLE. *JB
AIRBAG LIGHT ON , NO SPEED CONTROL, NO HORN. AIRBAG LIGHT INDICATES NONFUNCTIONING RESTRAINT SYSTEM. *AK
INTEGRADED SAFETY BELT STACKED AND MY WIFE COULD NOT REMOVE CHILD FROM THE SAFETY BELT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. DEALER WON'T REPLACE THE SAFTY BELT FREE.*AK
AT A SUDDEN STOP SEAT BELTS CAME UNDONE.*AK
VEHICLE HAS GEN. III SEATBELTS WHICH HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE FAULTY. I WISH TO REPLACE THEM BUT WAS TOLD THE DEALER DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS. PLEASE HELP.*AK
ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, SEAT BELTS COME UNBUCKLED WITH LITTLE MOVEMENT OR SLIGHT BUMP AGAINST THE SEAT BELTS LEAVING PASSENGERS UNSECURED.*AK *TT
STRAPS ON INTEGRATED CHILD SEAT IS TANGLED. STRAPS CANNOT BE ADJUSTED. STRAPS DO NOT HOLD CHILD IN SEAT PROPERLY. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
CHILD WAS IN INTEGRATED CHILD SEAT AND SEAT WOULD UNBUCKLE, BUT THE STRAPS WOULD NOT RETRACT SO CHILD COULD GET OUT OF SEAT. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND DEALER INDICATED A CABLE AND/OR INTERNAL PARTS HAVE BROKEN. *AK
THE SEAT BELTS ON BOTH INTERGRATED CHILD SEATS RETRACT BUT DO NOT LOCK, OWNER WOULD HAVE TO PAY $600.00 EACH FOR PARTS TO HAVE PROBLEM CORRECTED. CJ
INTERGRATED CHILD SEAT BEGAN TO TIGHTEN UP ON THE CHILD. IT HAD TO BE CUT OFF TO RELEASE CHILD. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED.*AK
THE RECALL ON THE INTEGRATED CHILD SAFETY SEAT IS NOT A COMPLETE REPAIR TO THE PROBLEM, OWNER MUST REPLACE THE UNIT TO COMPLETE REPAIR AND IS BEING DENIED FULL REIMBURSEMENT. (98V-185) *MJS
THE A/C AND HEAT VALVE STICK. YH
PASSENGER SEAT BELT FAILED. YH
SEAT BELT KEEPS RETRACTING, AND CONSUMER HAD TO GET A KNIFE TO CUT BELT BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT RETRACT. THERE IS A RECALL ON THE INTERGRATED CHILD SEAT ON THESE VEHICLES, AND CONSUMER IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. *AK
DRIVER'S SEAT BELT DOES NOT FULLY EXTEND FROM THE RETRACTING MECHANISM, CAUSING THE SEAT BELT TO BECOME INOPERABLE. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
THE STRAPS ON THE CHILD SAFETY SEAT LOCKED UP AND I HAD TO CUT THEM TO GET MY DAUGHTER OUT.
I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH. I HIT A SLIGHT DIP IN THE ROAD AND MY DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED, CAUSING A TRAGIC ACCIDENT. WHEN THE POLICE ARRIVED MY CHILD'S SEAT WAS NOT RESTRAINED IN THE REAR SEAT. THEY CLOSED THE HIGHWAY FOR 5 HOURS LOOKING FOR A BABY, WHO MAY HAVE CLIMBED OUT ONE OF THE BROKEN WINDOWS, THEY THOUGHT. THANK GOD, SHE WAS AT HOME. *AK
NHTSA RECALL 98V185000 AND MANUFACTURER'S RECALL 791/INTEGRATED CHILD SEAT. NO PARTS WERE AVAILABLE. *AK
INTEGRATED CSS HARNESS STRAPS DOES NOT RETRACT. CHILD WON'T BE PROTECTED IN EVENT OF A CRASH. DEALER IS WILLING TO PAY HALF OF THE REPAIRS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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