Problems with 2005 Toyota Sienna SEAT BELTS

The drivers side seat belt in my 2005 sienna (toyota) folds over and will not retract. the added slack and lack of retraction is a serious safety problem. this has been an ongoing problem since the car was less than a year old. it seems to have worsened lately. *tr

2005 toyota sienna minivan ce model the seat belt on the driver side sometimes would not retract at all in cold weather, pulling was okay. this has happened for several times. have to stop the van and used two hands to pull hard and resolve the jamming problem.

The front seatbelts--especially the drivers' seatbelts often become stuck when extended. sometimes the seatbelt cannot retract because it is twisted; more often the seatbelt will not retract. the result is that the it the occupant isn't (adequately) restrained. a temporary fix can often be accomplished by adjusting the shoulder height but this is time consuming and frustrating. *tr

Rear passenger side seat belt not working. 2005 sienna, 60,000 miles. *tr

Our passenger-side sliding rear door has frozen in place and will not open. it is a 2005 toyota sienna c model. we have had other issues as well, such as the rear hatchback supports failed within 3 years, our drivers-side front door makes a popping sound when opened, we have replaced the front brakes three times within 65,000 miles, and seat belts that constantly stick. *tr

In cold weather the seat belt frequently folds over where it comes out of the side of the car. the seat belt then cannot be used as it is too thick to retract. it takes hours to fiddle with it to correct it. the dealer says they can disassemble it & untwist it, but they cannot stop it from happening. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota sienna. at 25,000 miles, the seat belts on the front driver and passenger sides and the rear middle seat stopped functioning properly. the dealer could not duplicate the failure and stated that if the seat belts would not fail in their presence, nothing could be done. on a separate occasion, the driver's side seat belt finally failed and the dealer replaced the seat belt under warranty. the dealer refused to make repairs to the other seat belts even though the vehicle was still under warranty. the contact was concerned that the seat belts would not provide adequate protection if a crash occurred. the vin and mileages were unknown. updated 03-06-09 *bf the consumer also stated she has run flat tires, however the tire sensor did warn her that her tire went copletely flat. there was a strip of rubber missing from the tire. the consumer was informed the tire sensor did not work with run flat tires. updated 03/11/09. *jb

All the seat belts repeatedly get twisted inside the retractor guide on the door posts. this makes it impossible for the seat belt to retract or pull out for use. we've taken it back to toyota and were told it is our responsibility to get this fixed. however this seems to be a problem in many toyotas. this is definitely a safety issue that toyota needs to and should address. *tr

Front seat belts. both driver side and passenger side, passenger side more frequent. during retract belt folds on itself and then gets jammed. very difficult to clear. multiple times we have been forced to move rider to back seat or fore-go use of seat belt. dealer has fixed two times and claims there is no class problem, will not fix again. dealer claims we must be doing something wrong, we have been using cars for thirty years without this issue. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota sienna. the contact's child was seated in a booster seat on the driver's side. he leaned forward in the rear seat and the lap strap of the seat belt wrapped around his lower stomach area. the child sustained minor cuts on his stomach. the contact attempted to release the seat belt, but the retractor would continually tighten, instead of loosening. she had to cut the seat belt straps in order to release her child. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 44,279.

After 2 visits to an atlanta-area toyota dealer in response to nhtsa campaign 05v-327(50l), the dealer was unable to correct the problem. the middle row passenger seat belt continues to bind in the new bezel, and any passenger using the seat belt is not properly restrained. after speaking with toyota corporate about the problem in 2007, they were unwilling to take further action on the issue. the belt has bound in the bezel 50 or more times since then. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota sienna le. the contact stated that the front driver and passenger seat belts were inoperative. the electrical passenger sliding door had also failed to function, she had to manually close the door. the air bag warning light also illuminated on the instrumental panel for at least two years. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer who informed the contact that they were unable to assist her due to the vehicle not being under warranty. the manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 3500.

Passenger side seatbelt folds in half when the seatbelt is being fastened and then gets jammed. it is very difficult to clear. multiple times we have been forced to move rider to back seat. vehicle out of warranty and dealership wanted thousands to fix. this has happened for the last three years at least. *tr

The front passenger side seat belt in our 2005 toyota mini van frequently jams, because it creases both when it is deployed and retracted. it is very difficult to unfold the crease. as a result, the passenger cannot use the seatbelt until a person with very strong fingers helps correct the problem. we have taken the van to our local chrysler dealer who informs us that the seatbelt recall was for back seat belts only and that our only option is to replace the malfunctioning belt. the belt itself is over $200. when labor is included, it would cost around $500. as this is a design defect and as the front passenger seat is the most dangerous seat in any car, i believe this cost should be covered by chrysler. *tr

The driver side seat belt jams when pulled down and can not fasten the seat belt. the jam is difficult to correct, and as time goes by it happens more. it is now happening as much as twice a week. when the belt jams, we must drive home without the seat belt. this is illegal in florida, dangerous, and makes us liable for a ticket and fine. there should be a recall to repair the problem. *tr

My front passenger seat belt repeatedly jams due to the seat belt folding over on itself. i have researched this issue and have noticed that many toyota sienna owners are complaining of the same thing. when i asked my dealership about this issue, they said there were no recalls on this item, therefore, they would charge me $400 to fix it. at this point, it's jamming every week and the seat belt is unusable at this point. *tr

Dt*: the contact stated the middle passenger seat belt does not retract. the vehicle has been to the dealership five times. the dealership replaced the seat belt assembly once , and put the seat belt back on track the other times. these attempts have not corrected the problem. updated 06/07/2006. *ak *ts

Dt*: the contact stated the third row passenger side safety belt leaves a red mark on the passenger's neck. the safety belt must be held by the occupant in order to avoid neck irritation. the contact is concerned in the event of an accident the position of the safety belt may cause injury. the manufacturer, when contacted, suggested purchasing a fleece pad to protect the neck from irritation. the front and second row seats have an adjustment harness for safety belts. the vehicle was modified for a person with disability and therefore the second row seating was removed. this leaves only the third row for carrying more than one passenger.

Tl* the contact owns 2005 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the rear passenger side seat belt would become twisted and jammed in a particular spot. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who would repair the belt until the failure would recur. the contact stated there was a recall associated with the failure under nhtsa campaign id number: 05v327000 (seat belts) but the contact was informed by the dealer that her vin was not included in the recall. the manufacturer was contacted but only confirmed that the vehicle was not included in the recall and provided no further assistance. the failure mileage was 59,000.

The seat belt will not fasten in the rear seat when first put into the latch. the orange tab must be jimmied with and pushed and then after it was toyed with it finally was worked. it constantly does this, usually there is a car seat in that position but when it is used without it, it does it each time. *jb

When either front seatbelt of my 2005 toyota sienna is pulled out too rapidly it binds at the bezel. i carry two tools with me to force it back in if i have the time, otherwise if it is binds on the drivers side, the car has to be driven without the seatbelt. on the passengers side, the passenger has to move to a back seat. i checked with toyota when it was under warranty and was told nothing was wrong. it is a safety issue that should be under recall. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota sienna. shortly after purchasing the vehicle, the driver side seat belt became stuck and would not fully retract. the failure began intermittently, but currently the seat belt is inoperable. the vehicle is no longer under warranty. previously, the second row passenger seat belt did not retract and was sticking. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and repaired. the contact will take the vehicle to the dealer later this week to be repaired again. the current mileage was 56,000 and failure mileage was 15,000.

The passenger side seat belts when pulled out to enable the passengers to buckle can become folded and lodged in the opening at the pillar preventing the belt to move further. this renders the belt useless until the passenger can dislodge it from the opening. it can take as much as 20 minutes to free/or dislodge the belt from it's pinched position.

Front seat belts in toyota 2005 siennas repeatedly get snagged and are not operable. most frequently on the passenger side. *tr

We have a 2005 toyote sienna minivan..the last row has a middle seat belt that hangs vertically to a clip that then can sweep across the middle passenger to the attaching buckle. this vertical part also retracts into the ceiling when not in use. after dropping off our middle passenger - my son who was seated adjacent to the middle seat wrapped the vertical hanging seat belt around his neck. it is designed to retract so it started choking him. because the seat belt is only unlatched with an item smaller than my finger i had to leave him to get a pen from the front that would release the seat belt. a near miss.

We purchased our 2005 sienna xls on april. since then we have had problems with the second row seat belts"catching" in the slide for the seat belt connector. they fabric seems to be too lightweight or something because it folds over on itself and then gets stuck in the slide. this has happened numerous times during both the buckling and unbuckling processes.

I have precisely the same complaint as you have been investigating and that toyota has already (apparently) successfully escaped criticism for in pe05008. in april 2005, i alerted my dealer to the fact that the lap belt harness clip in the rh 2nd-row seat of my 2005 7-passenger sienna always caught or jammed the belt at the separation point of the holder whenever a passenger was seated there. when an adult noticed it and tried to retract the belt manually, it would sometimes retract but on other occasions pull the clip apart. i explained that i am most concerned when either a young person rides there without being aware of the problem or its significance or when even an adult rides there and has not become aware (in the event of an accident at precisely that point). the service manager indicated he had never heard of that problem nor had a similar complaint (something i now find very hard to believe). a promise was made the the toyota field rep would call in a few days. rather, in a few weeks, only after i complained to toyota, i heard from amy schwartz who indicated she recorded my complaint but that toyota would not be taking any further action with regard to the complaint. not once did she indicate there had been a case opened already. please pursue this and get toyota's attention before there is a serious injury or fatality. it is very obvious to me that a simple fix, as i have applied to my own clip, would suffice from strictly a safety standpoint, but it would seem that toyota s\hould come up with a more elagant and permanent solution. i simply glued the clip closed and put a 2-inch wide and 5 inch long strip of smooth packaging tape over the fron of the clip (covering the division or split point), thereby removing any point where the belt could catch.