Problems with 2004 Toyota Sienna SEAT BELTS

1) seatbelt twists and gets jammed in the guide near the retractor. seat belt pulls out, but then will not retract as it is wedged in the guide.this has happened numerous times, but now it is quite wedged. and unusable at the moment. 2) cable that pulls the side door open and closed has rusted and broken. this was subject to a toyota voluntary service campaign, but my problem started after the expiration of the service campaign.

Seatbelt is not pulling when buckling up on the passenger seat.

Passenger side seatbelt constantly gets jammed up, folded over and renders it un-useable. very unsafe!!!! i just fixed it so i am not going to recreate the scenario just to get a photo....this is the 5th time it has happened!

Seat belt buckle unlatches itself while driving (city streets as well as highway) or stationary. this occurs ever after shoving the tongue back and forth in the latch several times and it remains latched. later, it will unlatch itself. it has occurred mostly on straightaways, but also in turns. i removed the latch assembly and blew compressed air through it. two large red plastic pieces came out, but the problem returned on the next drive. this situation has been going on for about two weeks now. it has occurred from zero to 65 miles an hour.

The front driver and passenger side seat belts do not retract. have to yank them and try all kinds of things to get them to retract.

Was getting into van to drive and pulled the seatbelt across my chest, it was slack so pulled a little more to get it to retract and come out, it would not, kept coming out and stuck all the way out now. would not go back in.

Driver's side seat belt once engaged in clip it keeps on coming off. sometimes it takes several times for seat belt to stay engaged.

Front passenger side seat belt gets jammed where it comes out of pillar. won't retract or pull out. i have to remove trim and pull it loose from inside. this has happened many times over the last several years and if you google it you will find many hits on this.

Toyota has offered a warranty extension on defective driver/passenger seatbelt mechanism, however, when i visited the dealer and after they have confirmed that my seatbelts are defective, they cannot provide an estimate on when the parts needed for repair would be available. i opened a case with toyota corporate, however, after numerous phone calls and promises for callback and resolution they have not returned a single phone call. this is a safety issue and needs to be addressed asap not after someone dies in an accident due to defective seatbelts. symptoms include seatbelts not retrieving, getting stuck, and overall not advancing in or out requiring that they be loose when driving. seatbelts are getting stuck at different times, but most frequently when being operated such as extended or retracted. once the seatbelt is stuck, it's very difficult to get it going again such that my spouse had to drive home on a few occasions without the seatbelt. toyota knows about this issue, but is not doing anything to fix it.

The problem: front seat belts intermittently fail to retract. this issue has been observed to occur when getting into the car and fastening the seatbelt. this issue occurs infrequently but repeatedly. toyota has provided a "warranty enhancement" for this problem. however, the problem cannot be duplicated "on demand" at the dealership (toyota of puyallup), so the dealership is refusing to fix the problem. i have repeatedly explained to the dealership and toyota corporate that the issue is intermittent and cannot be duplicated "on demand", and toyota corporate has in fact affirmed that the issue is indeed "intermittent." but they still refuse to replace the seatbelt mechanism with an updated version that purportedly remedies the problem, simply because the issue cannot be duplicated at the time when the car happens to be at the dealership for servicing. my concern here is that seatbelts are (obviously) an integral facet of passenger restraint during an accident, so i'm perplexed as to why toyota is unwilling to fix a problem that would appear to be related to passenger safety and is -- by their own admission -- known to be intermittently duplicable.

The front driver's side seat belt has a tendency to fold over and get jammed in the slot where it retracts. a quick seach online has found many owners with this similar issue. when this issue occurs, it pretty much leaves us in an unprotected and dangerous state. surprisingly, what appears to be a similar problem has prompted a recall for the second row passenger seats, but not for the front driver's side. based on the numerous customer complaints online, it appears toyota's only solution is to have customers replace the seatbelt system for hundreds and hundreds of dollars. in regards to this kind of safety concern, i as the consumer feel that toyota should be responsible to replace this obvious design flaw/or production defect immediately by issuing a recall particularly for the driver's side front. i'm urging investigation into this so that a solution can be obtained, before it is too late, and someone is seriously injured in the event of an emergency or accident. the seat belt seems to fold over too easily when seat belt is pulled a little faster (not to be confused with the click and stop, which is how all seat belts are designed). this is seemingly a regular occurance now in my case, and for the affected sienna owners, we can't keep taking the car back to the dealership, or taking the inner panel out to fix ourselves (which is what i've been doing), every other day. please issue a recall for this, as i am sure many owners will be very grateful for this. thank you.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the front driver side seat belt failed to properly restrain her. while driving and while also in park, the seat belt would release and unsecured the contact. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the seat belt assembly needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 113,310.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign numbers: 13v429000 (power train) and 05v327000 (seat belt) and stated that the parts needed for the repairs were not available. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure. part distribution disconnect.

Front seat belts fail to retract back. i spend atleast 15 mins to retract it back with pliers each time it happens. huge safety issue as my family with kids use the van. the issue is happening since i bought the van (used) in jan2015 and it happened again today 4/12/2016

The front passenger seat belt got stuck in loose condition so it is unsafe for anyone to sit in the front passenger seat. *tr

The driver side seatbelt twists and gets stuck in the bezel. this has happened several times and i have been able to fix it after working on it for a few minutes but today it happened again and i was unable to fix it and am forced to drive without a drivers seatbelt!!! i have only owned this car for three weeks and have had this seat belt get stuck after normal use at least 6 times. *tr

The driver's side seatbelt gets folded up and cannot retract. this was a safety issue because i had to drive with no effective seatbelt until i could get home and fix it. this is not the first time this has happened. once i took it to get fixed but recently i learned how to fix it myself. this required tools and about 30 minutes to complete. if this happens again when i am not at home or don't have time to fix it, i'll be in the same unsafe situation again. please issue a recall. *tr

The driver side seatbelt gets jammed and cannot be used. this has happened multiple times and renders the vehicle unusable. *js

I love this vehicle, but the drivers side seatbelt periodically sticks. i've tried pulling more belt out, often running out of belt and not being able to get unstuck initially. sometimes the belt has folded over, but not in all instances. i have often had to use needle nose pliers to grip, pull and/or flip the belt over if folded. often this takes 10 minutes to correct. this has happened when i'm not at home, and i've had to drive home with no seat belt. this is a consistent problem, and one my tundra, avalon and echo do not experience. i am an avid toyota owner, still owning 3 of 4 i've bought. toyota should resolve this issue as it seems from the online community that seat belts 'locking' is a persistent issue. *tr

On the day i purchased this (used) vehicle, i noticed that the driver's side seatbelt would not retract. after examining the seat belt i noticed that it had folded in on itself and was jammed at the site of where it retracts. i could see that belt was not only folded on itself from the outside, but also past the plastic hardware and behind the casing. i could not unfold the belt with my hands because the folded part of the belt was inside the plastic, which i believe is where the trouble was occurring. i had to drive home with a loose seatbelt (as i had pulled it out while trying to get it to retract) and use a pair of pliers to untwist the folded part. this has happened every single day since i purchased this vehicle 6 days ago. i called my toyota dealer who said there is a seat belt recall for the second row seat belt, for the same problem, however, there is no recall for the driver's side and therefore they could not fix the problem. it is a big problem when i am out in public and cannot get the seatbelt unfolded. i am forced to drive my vehicle back home without the ability/protection of using a seatbelt. *tr

The front seat belts on both the driver's side and the passenger's side will not retract. once extended, they get stuck in the extended position, making the seat belt restrain system completely inoperable. the seat belt will click into the lock mechanism, but the belt is completely loose, and the retract/lock system does not work. this is an unsafe condition. i researched online to try to fix this problem myself, and i found hundreds of other complaints exactly like this one, each with varying mileage on their 2004-2010 model year siennas. its one of the most popular selling minivans, don't you think toyota should fix this safety issue?? *tr

Both front seat belts fail to retract, remaining much too loose to provide safety to passenger. i have been able to fool with the mechanism in various ways and get the seatbelt working again until today -- 3-28-14. driver's side is fully extended, folded over, and there is no way to get it unfolded and reactivate the retracting now that it is fully extended. i have actually been fussing with this on and off for a couple of years, but in the last month it is constant. i looked for a solution online and discovered it is a very common problem for sienna owners. all agree that once the belt is all the way out, it cannot be fiddled with enough to fix it. *tr

In just normal use, without ever having been involved in a collision causing the seatbelt to restrain a passenger, the seat belt on the front passenger side over extends and folds. the belt will not retract and causes the passenger seat to be unusable. the fold is nearly impossible to remove and the belt remains extended. this has happened numerous times over the course of owning the vehicle, to many different passengers. *tr

Belt on driver side repeatedly jams when retracting. *tr

The seat belt has managed several times become twisted/jammed up in the retractor portion of the seat belt. if an accident were to happen in this vehicle the seat belt would fail to operate as it is intended, which i feel would result in serious injury. i would like to have our seat belt fixed at the cost of toyota. *tr

Numerous times the seat belt folds as it is pulled out and then jams. prior to today i have been able to get it unfolded. today i am not able to and now cannot drive my car safely. if i can't fix it myself i will have to drive it to the toyota dealership without wearing the seatbelt. *tr

Both front seat belts on this vehicle fold over and bind up. they cannot be retracted properly. the front passenger side is bound so bad, it is unusable. frustrating. *tr

The front seat belts do not retract. i just bought this vehicle used new years eve and the first time used the seat belts jammed. i just looked on line to see if there is a fix and there are none listed, but hundreds of siennas with this problem. this is a safety problem because i still have to use the van, but the front seat belts do not retract to tighten around passengers. *tr

Front drive and passenger seat belts are getting jammed. some time, unable to release the seat belt, other time, seat belt will not get locked. *tr

I own 2004 toyota sienna mini van . for many years, i always have a problem with the driver side seat belt. it sometimes simply does not retract. the front seat belts frequently jammed and folded and unable to retract by itself. i have toyota dealers to check the problem in 2011 and 2012, but they are not be able to fix it. please go to the link below, there are 33 cases reported there http://www.carproblemzoo.com/toyota/sienna/seat-belt-problems.php nhtsa should have toyota to recall this safety defect. *tr

The front seat belts--especially the passengers seat belt, often become stuck when extended because of twisting and folding up upon itself. sometimes the seat belt cannot retract at all; more often than not, because of the twisting, the seat belt becomes jammed in the fully extended position. the result is that the it the occupant isn't (adequately) restrained. this happens 5 - 8 times per week. also a problem, because the belt is not retracted, it frequently gets slammed in the door when the driver or passenger get out of the vehicle. over time, the integrity of the belt will suffer from this. i never know when the belt will twist. if a passenger leans forward and then back,that is enough for the belt to twist upon retraction. now i have an improperly restrained passenger at risk for injury in a moving vehicle. please do not wait for a fatality before acting on this. we require occupants to wear belts for a reason. it is the law. if toyota's belts are failing, we lose the benefit of the seat belt and are unprotected. please see other websites that list this problem, the vin numbers of these cars are similar. http://www.carproblemzoo.com/toyota/sienna/seat-belt-problems.php and also http://www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2004/toyota/sienna/seat+belt. *tr

The front seat belts on this vehicle jam all the time. they fold and jam with the seatbelts unable to retract and hold the driver or passenger in a safe manner. this is the only vehicle i have owned with this continuous problem. *tr

The front passenger seat belt often gets folded and jammed and does not retract. it takes a lot of messing with to get it to retract. today, i could not get it to retract, so it is extended all the way so noone can safely sit in the front seat. *tr

The sienna 2004 front seat belts are getting frequently jammed and folded and unable to fully retract. this is a problem that has been happening with alot of the sienna owners. the belts are getting jammed, and unless you use a plier to twist to unfold to be able to get it to its retracting position. it is a driving hazard as there is alot of slack on the seat belt when the retraction is jammed. i took to dealer and said the whole seat belt system needs to be replaced. i feel this is a defect with the manufacturing and a recall needs to be made on this issue. it is happening on these vehicle after 4-5 years of use. *tr

Passenger front seat belt is twisted and will not retract and is therefore unsafe for use. since this is a safety concern, i asked toyota dealership if there was any recall or service bulletin issued for this problem and i was told there is nothing they are aware of. request toyota to investigate this concern and take prompt action in resolving this safety issue. if there is a recall / service bulletin issued or in the works, please let us know. *tr

Drivers seatbelt fold over and becomes stuck in its retraction slot. seatbelt is unusable. i need to drive without a seatbelt. unable to fix by self. i then need to take to dealer or mechanic to have seatbelt untwisted. this has occurred numerous times over the past 3-5 years. [internet search finds numerous persons complaining about this issue for 2004 sienna]. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated the front driver's side seat belt webbing failed to retract and properly restrain the occupant. the excess webbing was hanging on the floor. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who performed a temporary repair. the technician stated the entire seat belt assembly needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

Both the driver's and passenger's side seat belt repeatedly catch so that they are stuck and fully extended. often it takes hours to wiggle the seat belts back into position so that they actually roll freely. *tr

The front passenger seatbelt has a tendency to twist when retracting. i've seen online that this is a common problem with toyota siennas. i've read that some people iron and starch their seatbelts - but heat/melting is a terrible solution. *tr

On passenger side, front seat belt folds and jams as it is being pulled out to be buckled. if the belt is pulled out further, it stays jammed and does not retract, thus creating a hazard for the passenger. *tr

2004 toyota sienna. the driver's seat belt gets stuck in the bezzle and fails to retrack. this happens almost everytime i try to use the seat belt creating a serious safety concern. many owners of the same vehicle reported the same problems. there was a recall on the seat belt for middle seats. the seat belt for driver's seat should be also recalled. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the front seat belts failed and would become jammed when retracted. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where the dealer advised the contact that the seat belts for the front driver and passenger sides needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

The front seat belts (both driver and passenger side) are easily jammed and getting folded over so that the seat belt neither retracts or pulls out. it is extremely difficult to unjam the belt, and often necessitates driving without the safety of an effective seat belt. this has never happened in any other make/model car i've driven - toyota needs to address this safety issue promptly. *tr

The drivers seat belt is stuck in the extended position and will not retract. dealership said the retraction mechanism is broken and the part costs $400. i've read about many other owners having the same problem. when will something like this be recalled. it is a real safety issue. *tr

The drivers seat belt jams and will not retract. occasionally when pulled out, the drivers seat belt folds over and jams in the top most exit (roller) as it comes out of the pillar and into the drivers area. the belt will not retract without stopping the car and clearing the twist that results in the jam. sometimes you have to remove the cover on the pillar that the belt retracts into. this effort takes longer and requires you to go into the back seat for access. this has happened 3 times in the last 30 days and 10 times in the last year. my wife has driven home each time this occurs with the seat belt "jammed" so i can make the repairs. she isn't strong enough to repair the car once the jam occurs. *tr

The seatbelts in the middle row do not always work properly. they frequently lock up or don't flow smoothly from the belt case. it concerns me that the seat belts will not properly restrain my children in the event of an accident. this happens several times a week. *tr

The seat belts on our 2004 toyota sienna minivan do not work properly. approximately once every ten to twelve days, the belts will not retract properly to their original position. the belts currently not working properly are the driver side and the middle seat passenger side. we have taken the vehicle back to cobb county toyota in georgia for repair. they claim it is "user error," a characterization i completely reject. i have driven several cars and have never had a problem like this. they have managed to return the belts to their original position but within a few days to a week, they are improperly working again. we all know that seat belts are one of the most important pieces of safety equipment in a vehicle. if they do not work properly, the evidence is clear that passengers in that vehicle are much more likely to die. i believe this is a manufacturer's defect which should be remedied immediately. *tr

driver side seat belt not easily released *tw

It happened twice during 2 weeks ago ( during heavy rain). i was driving my 2004 toyota sienna on a parking lot. the steering wheel is very hard to turn, it seems like i lost the power steering. after restarting the van, the problem disappeared. next day, my wife encountered the same problem when she is picking up our kids from school. we believe there is a major problem with the electrical system or computer system. i have so many problem with this vans and the dealer refuse to fix it, i have seat belt problem, it is not easy to release after driving, dealer wants 300 to fix. electrical sliding door problem etc. *tr

The driver seat belt in my 2004 toyota sienna gets twisted and stuck where it retracts into the side panel. this continues to happen over and over and it is difficult to fix. sometimes fixing it requires ripping apart the side panel. this has been happening since about 2007. we are often left without a working seat belt and even more often left with an ill fitting seat belt. the dealership want $500 to replace but i feel it was a defective design and is likely to happen again. *tr