Seat Belt complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (buckles, retractors, anchors and pretensioners).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
While driving at 35 MPH another vehicle collided with consumer's vehicle on the front passenger's side. The consumer's child was seated in a child seat that was built into the vehicle. The five point harness that was restraining the child became undone. Four persons were in the vehicle at the time of the collision, and three sustained minor injuries. 2003 Chevrolet Venture was involved in a collision with another vehicle. During the collision the built in child seat five point harness became unbuckled. Four people were in the vehicle at the time of the collision. One of the passengers was a child that was seated in the built in child seat. The four passengers sustained minor injuries.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Venture. The contact stated that the vehicle was being driven approximately 50 MPH when the driver crashed into a deer. The seat belt did not properly restrain the driver, who sustained a mild concussion. The vehicle was able to be driven from the scene and was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician stated that all six seat belts needed to be replaced because they would not properly restrain a person during a crash. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 123,000.
Takata recall I was driving and ran off the edge of the road and over corrected myself an hit an embankment head on and my face went into the steering wheel and then was thrown for the van out the back passenger window and the van then landed on my foot before I hit the road due to air bag never deploying my nose was torn about off my face and brook 4 ribs fractured 5 and my foot and ankle and foot was badly damaged my seat belt was put on but for some reason didn't work.
My 2yr old daughter was strangled last night in our 2002 Chevy Venture. The van has a built in toddler seat(May be called differ) well, she some how managed to have the "adult" seat belt wrap around her neck and then the seat belt tighten up. We could not get the belt off due to it being "locked." we opened the door, of course this is after a quick panic across lanes in the highway to exit the major highway we were driving on. Well, I had my son run over to "pep boys" and tell them there is a 2yr old that is chocking from a seatbelt the will not "let go" and we need something to cut the belt with. They were very helpful there at pep boys. My son managed to run back to us and hand me the emergency device to cut the belt and release our daughter. The was nothing we could do. We opened the door and had the van in park. …
The safety harnesses on some seats ratchet up, lock, and choke the person using them. The first one to do that was in the far back and had been used only a few times when it failed and we requested the dealership to repair it. We were told that the 12-month warranty was expired and safety belts are not covered under extended warranty. Now, the assembly that holds the shoulder harness to the sidewall of the vehicle, the bolts pulled completely out and the shoulder strap is not attached to anything. All but the driver's shoulder harness also ratchets up and locks, nearly strangling the person using it. I believe there are major safety issues with these seat belts. We are a family of 3 and the seat belts in the back seats are seldom used, the problems began when the vehicle was fairly new, and this is a major safety issue, especially the one where the bolts fell out. …
Power sliding door on Chevrolet Venture stops working intermittently, stuck shut on several occasions and now appears to be opening on its own. Rear wheel cylinders have been rebuilt around 20,000 miles. 1st intake manifold gasket replaced around 14,000 miles 2nd around 35,000. Second row passenger seat belt has been replaced 2 or three times due to failing to retract. Second row drivers seat belt has been replaced due to failure to retract.
Vehicle was rear-ended and knocked approximately 39 ft. Driver's seat belt did not lock and driver was thrown about like a rag doll according to witness of accident resulting in head and neck injuries. Drivers seat broke loose on one side.
Tl contact owns a 2000 Chevrolet Venture. While driving 55 MPH, the contact noticed that the air bag indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The failure indicated that both air bags were deactivated. The vehicle was driven to the dealer, but they could not inspect the vehicle because the air bag indicator was not illuminated at the time. The failure continued intermittently; however, the air bag indicator remained illuminated. The vehicle was returned to the dealer and they performed a diagnostic test. The contact was informed that the driver's side seat belt latch assembly was defective. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not under any recalls; therefore, they were not liable for the repairs. The current mileage was 97,000 and failure mileage was 95,000. Updated 3/16/09 the headlight covers fogged up as well. Updated 03/19/09.
Related recalls (1)
Seat belts
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and Mini vans equipped with trw seat belt buckle assemblies. The buckle base of these seat belt assemblies were not properly heat treated and therefore do not pass the load bearing requirement of federal motor vehicle safety standard no.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicle's safety belt buckle assembly date codes and, if necessary, will replace any safety belt buckle assembly.
NHTSA investigations
Shoulder harness clip
Safety belt assembly failure
Odi identified 59 reports with the alleged defect.odi was able to contact 44 of the 59 consumers in order to determine the specific cause of the latch problems.of the 44 owners contacted, odi determined that four failures were due to an out-of-tolerance latch plate, and that 23 failures were due to a displaced buckle housing cover.the remaining 17 failures had indeterminable causes.of the 59 reports, there were…
Frequently asked questions
Which Chevrolet Venture years have seat belt problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1997 (24), 1998 (21), 2000 (20), 2001 (12) and 1999 (10) model years. Seat Belt complaints make up 6% of all complaints for the 1997.
Is there a recall for Chevrolet Venture seat belt problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 00V228003 (seat belts, Aug 7, 2000). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Venture seat belt problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 59,000 miles; 44% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the front › buckle assembly (18 mentions), followed by the rear/other (16).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.