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 1997 Toyota Corolla submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 39 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 39, in the owner's own words
MY DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT WILL NOT COME OUT. I HAVE ACTUALLY HAD THIS PROBLEM BEFORE AND GOT IT FIXED ABOUT A YEAR OR TWO AGO. I PAID OVER 300.00 FOR A MECHANIC SHOP TO COMPLETELY REPLACE MY SEAT BELT. NOW IT IS HAPPENING AGAIN TO THE REPLACEMENT SEAT BELT. I REALLY DON'T THINK IT SHOULD BE MY RESPONSIBILITY TO GET THIS SEAT BELT THING FIXED EVERY TWO YEARS BECAUSE OF FAULTY/DEFECTIVE ENGINEERING.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT RELEASE. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TRIED TO UNLATCH THE SEAT BELT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED BUT IT STILL WOULD NOT RELEASE. SHE HAD TO USE A SCREWDRIVER TO OPEN THE SEAT BELT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT THE RELEASE BUTTON BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AND THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 60,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 99,000.
FRONT SEAT BELTS LOCK AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO PULL OUT THE SEAT BELT IT FINALLY LOCKS. HAD SEAT BELT REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES AND KEEPS REPEATING. I FEEL THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL AFTER READING THE NUMEROUS LOGS ABOUT THIS VERY PROBLEM. *JB
SAFETY BELTS IN TOYOTA COROLLA LOCK SO WE ARE UNABLE TO USE THEM. TOYOTA SAYS SINCE THE CAR IS A 97 AND OUT OF WARRANTY IT IS NOT TOYOTA'S RESPONSIBILITY. WRONG IT IS A DEFECT THAT WE REPLACED ALREADY ONCE. *NM
FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT RETRACTOR LOCKS PREVENTING USE OF SEAT BELT. *NM
MY SEAT BELTS IN MY TOYOTA COROLLA HAS AN DEFECT, DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT IS HUNG AND I CANT GET IT ON I HAVE TO PULL HARD JUST TO GET IT ON, AND IT GET HUNG AGAIN, PASSENGER BELT IN THE REAR IS ALL THE WAY OUT AND WANT RETRACT, I HAVE 3 KIDS UNDER THE AGE 6 AND ITS A BIG CONCERN FOR ME. *JB
THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT AND THE REAR SEAT BELTS DID NOT RETRACT. THE DEALER WILL REPAIR AT OWNER'S EXPENSE. *AK *JB
THE DRIVER SEAT BELTS DID NOT RETRACT AFTER BEING RELEASED. *JB WHEN THE BELT DID WORK, IT WOULD LOCK TIGHT AND WOULD NOT ALLOW ONE TO LEAN FORWARD WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED. *SC *JB
DRIVER'S SEAT BELT WILL NOT COME OUT OF HOLDER OFTEN, MUST PULL REPEATEDLY TO GET UNIT TO RELEASE. ONCE YOU GET THE SEAT BELT ON IT LOCKS OFTEN MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO TURN TO SEE REAR TRAFFIC. ?
FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT WILL NOT DISENGAGE FROM RETRACTOR. NOT ONLY IS THIS A SAFETY ISSUE BUT IT IS ILLEGAL TO DRIVE IN THIS (AND MOST) STATE(S) WITHOUT WEARING A SEAT BELT. NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE HAVE BEEN REPORTED. I BELIEVE TOYOTA OWES IT TO THE CONSUMER TO REPAIR THIS UNSAFE AND ILLEGAL PROBLEM MANY DRIVER'S ARE EXPERIENCING WITH THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE MAKE/MODEL.*AK
SEAT BELT RETRACTORS STICKS CONSTANTLY. *NLM
DRIVER SEAT BELT WON'T COME OUT HAVE TO ACTUALLY BE MOVING AND APPLY BRAKE TO GET IT TO WORK. AM CURRENTLY TRING TO GET DEALER TO FIX. ALSO SEEMS TO LOCK WHEN DRIVING, BUT RELEASE WHEN BRAKE IS APPLIED. SECOND PROBLEM OCCURRED WHEN BRAKING SUDEENLY. SOMETHING HIT TRANSMISSION CONTROL, PUTTING VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING. SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MOVE WITHOUT DEPRESSING SAFETY BUTTON BUT DID. (POSSIBLY WAS HIT BY SOMETHING IN CAR?) DT
DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR STICKS INTERMITTENTLY; AFTER SEVERAL PULLS ON BELT, SEAT BELT FINALLY GETS BUCKLED; ALWAYS, WHEN UNBUCKLING SEAT BELT, IT DOES NOT RETRACT FULLY INTO HOLDER. *AK
WITH ALL THE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS THIS ITEM SHOULD BE SUBJECT TO A RECALL AS IT IS LAW TO DRIVE WITH A SEATBELT ON. *AK
REAR LAP BELT BUCKLE CAME APART. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK THE REAR CENTER LAP BELT THAT HOLDS CHILD'S SAFETY SEAT FAILED. *YH
WHILE TRYING TO PUT DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELTON IT WOULD NOT PULL FROM RETRACTOR. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
INTERMITTENTLY DRIVER'S AND RIGHT REAR SEAT BELTS WILL NOT RETRACT FROM RETRACTORS. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT ANY REPAIRS WOULD BE AT CONSUMER'S COST. *AK
DRIVERS SEAT BELT GETS LOCKED EASILY. UNABLE TO PULL SEAT BELT OUT TO APPLY AT TIMES. WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE THE SEAT BELT WILL LOCK AND RESTRICT MOVEMENT. THERE IS NO PATTERN TO WHEN SEAT BELT LOCK AND WHEN IT WORKS. WHEN I BRING IT INTO A DEALER IT ALWAYS SEEMS TO WORK FINE AT THE TIME SO NO REPAIRS ARE MADE. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER OWNERS THAT THIS IS A DEFECT AND I FEEL IT SHOULD BE ADDRESS AS IT IS A LIABILITY ISSUE.*AK
I DO NOT FEEL THAT WHEN OR IF AN ACCIDENT EVER OCCURS TO THIS VEHICLE THAT THE SEAT BELTS WILL OPERATE CORRECTLY. THEY HAVE BEEN REPAIRED AND/OR REPLACED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND STILL THEY DO NOT RECOIL PROPERLY. I HAVE TO DRIVE MY FAMILY IN THIS VEHICLE EVERYDAY AND I'VE TRIED TO RETURN THE CAR TO THE DEALER BUT THEY WILL NOT BE FAIR AND ARE TRYING TO FORCE ME TO PAY SEVERE PENALTIES. I'M NOT IN A FAVORIBLE POSITION IN THE LEASE. HOWEVER THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY BEARING ON THIS SEAT BELT SAFETY ISSUES THAT I'M SEEMINGLY FORCED TO LIVE (OR DIE) WITH.*AK
DRIVER'S SEAT BELT WILL NOT COME OUT OF HOLDER OFTEN, MUST PULL REPEATEDLY TO GET UNIT TO RELEASE. ONCE YOU GET THE SEAT BELT ON IT LOCKS OFTEN MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO TURN TO SEE REAR TRAFFIC. I HAVE BARELY AVOIDED ACCIDENTS 3 TIMES DUE TO THIS. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THE BELT WILL LOCK. MY LIFE IS IN DANGER DRIVING THIS CAR, TOYOTA SAYS THIS IS A SAFETY FEATURE AND I DON'T NEED TO TURN MY BODY IN ORDER TO SEE REAR TRAFFIC. SHELOR SAYS THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE PROBLEM. COME DRIVE THIS CAR AND YOU WILL SEE INSTANTLY. WHO CAN SOLVE THIS BEFORE I AM KILLED? *AK
DRIVER'S SEAT BELT FAILED COME OUT OF RETRACTOR. DRIVER LIFTED WITHOUT RETRAINTS. DEALER NOTIFIED AND REFUSED TO REPAIR UNLESS COST GOES TO CONSUMER.*AK
I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE YOU LOOK INTO A RECALL OF THIS VEHICLE FOR THE SEAT BELT ISSUE. YOU HAVE MORE COMPLAINTS ON THE 1997 TOYOTA FOR SEAT BELTS FAILING TO RETRACT THAN ANYTHING ELSE. THE FACTORY OBVIOUSLY KNOWS THERE IS A PROBELM, HAVE ADMITTED THEY HAVE A PROBLEM IN MY CAR, YET ARE PLAYING THE ODDS BY FORCING ME TO WAIT A YEAR TO GET MY CASE TO COURT. I FORTUNATELY CAN, BUT WHAT ABOUT FAMILIES THAT CANNOT. IN MY CASE THEY CAN'T EVEN GUARANTEE THEY HAVE FOUND THE PROBLEM, YET WANT A FIFTH, AND MOST LIKELY SIXTH TIME TO FIX IT. MY GOAL NOW IS TO MAKE PEOPLE AWARE OF THIS PROBELM, GET MY MONEY BACK AND FORCE A RECALL. PLEASE AT LEAST LOOK INTO THE SITUATION. *AK
SEATBELT LOCKS UP WHEN TRYING TO PUT ON. TAKES SEVERAL MINUTES OF TRYING TO PULL SEAT BELT BEFORE IT WILL LOOSEN ENOUGH TO BE USED. *AK
THIS IS THE THIRD TIME IN TWO YEARS THAT THE SEATBELTS HAVE FAILED. WHEN THE SEATBELT DOES PULL OUT OF ITS HOUSING, IT CAN TIGHTEN UP, RESTRICTING THE ABILITY OF THE DRIVER TO TURN TO SEE TRAFFIC SITUATIONS. SOMETIMES THE SEATBELT WILL NOT PULL OUT AT ALL; SOMETIMES IT WILL PULL OUT AFTER MULTIPLE TRIES. I AM NOT COMFORTABLE DRIVING MY CAR WITHOUT A PROPERLY WORKING SEATBELT!
DRIVER'S SIDE SHOULDER BELT DOES NOT RETRACT ALL THE WAY, AND THE PASSENGER'S SIDE SEATBELT DOES NOT CONNECT WITH BUCKLE, MEANING NOT LOCKING UP. DEALER HAS NOT SEEN VEHICLE. *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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