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
Consumer's vehicle was involved in head on collision, whereby the seat belt did not secure the consumer, causing him to strike his head on the steering wheel, then, the air bags deployed only because his head hit the steering. Consumer broke his nose, and had other multiple injuries. The vehicle was totaled.
Dt*: the contact stated that the driver's side seatbelt caught on fire twice and the passenger side air bag deployed. During each incident the air bag light illuminated on the dash. On the first incident the dealership determined there was an electrical short in the airbag module and in the left and right front squids. The seat belt tensioner was determined to be faulty. The dealership replaced the air bag module and the air bag. The seat belt tensioner was repaired. The second incident resulted in injuries to the passenger of the vehicle. The air bag module was determined defective and the driver's side seatbelt retractor was faulty. The dealership replaced the air bag module, the air bag and the seat belt retractor. The seat belt is malfunctioning again. The air bag light is illuminated on the dash of the vehicle.
I am concerned with a few things on my 2002 Dodge Stratus se 4 door. One, I feel that the ABS system on my car did not work properly. I had to do an emergency stop with my car in which my wheels locked up and the car proceeded to "launch forward" at least 10 feet even though my foot was still on the brake pedal.there were no skid marks. I ended up hitting a woman in front of me who had jacked up. Please keep in mind that I was only traveling at about 25 MPH having just come through a light. In addition to that, even though I was wearing my seatbelt, I still hit the dashboard with my knee and the steering wheel with my chin. Normally when I come to a stop at a stop sign my seat belt gets tighter when I step on the brakes and I have trouble leaning forward to look both ways, it seems like that is how it is supposed to work. Also, my airbags never deployed. …
Brakes failed while applyed at 55 MPH, brake pedal went to the floor, and caused a vehicle crash. Dealer notified. The vehicle flipped over three times ejecting the passenger and injuring the driver critically. The air bag failed to deploy during the accident. The vehicle had cruise control and seat belt problem and experienced a tire blew out.
I have my automobile routinely maintained, every 6-8 months, (oil, tune up,...)oil sludge baking in engine block-cylinder at 50,000 and again 114000. Corrosion build up & gunk in cylinder block, coils & spark plug corrosion causing bad-strong order in automobile and sputtering, poor emission. Transmission slips from time to time at 25,000 and now again at 114000, with leaks which we can smell very strong in automobile. Excessive brake lockage while attempting to break in normal-average speed of 25 miles. Constantly having to have the breaks repair although I have life warranty on breaks. Repairer states its the automobile. Safety belt does not always latch properly and has unlatched all by itself while im driving with my son, (6 yrs old). Drivers belt also unlatches from time to time. While driving I notice the car tens to sway to the right. …
Tl contact owns a 2000 Dodge Stratus. The contact stated that the rear seat belt buckles failed. Therefore, the base of the child seat does not lock properly on the seat. The current and failure mileages were 56,800. Updated 03-11-08 on both rear seat belts, the plastic mechanism that was attached to the seat belt latch snapped off . Without the mechanism securely in place, the belt slides around. Updated
I have had my Dodge Stratus es for approximately 3 years and the back safety shoulder harness has quit working now 2 times. The first time I had it fixed under warranty and this last time the dealership refused to repair it without it costing a small fortune. I think there should there should be some kind of automatic repair of safety parts, such as, seat belts, etc without a small fortune having to be paid.
Rear safety belts used to secure the child safety seat broke. Consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, and said they've never seen anything like that before. Consumer also called the manufacturer, but received no assistance. Consumer was told that the vehicle was out of warranty.
Related recalls (2)
Seat belts › Rear/other
On certain sedans, the left and right rear outboard retractor and turning loop bolts on the seat belts May not have been properly tightened.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the affected fasteners. The recall began on November 15, 2004. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Seat belts › Front › Anchorage
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The rear seat belt anchor does not achieve the loading required by FMVSS no. 210, "seat belt assembly anchorages."
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rear seat belt outboard anchor floor attachments for proper positioning. If the anchor was improperly oriented, the orientation will be corrected.
NHTSA investigations
Safety belt cinching latch plate
There are no injuries or fatalities associated with this alleged defect.while conducting this investigation, odi found that the subject cinches meet the load bearing requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard 208, and that many of the reported failures were due to incorrect child safety seat installations.
Frequently asked questions
Which Dodge Stratus years have seat belt problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1998 (11), 1996 (8), 1999 (7), 2000 (7) and 1997 (6) model years. Seat Belt complaints make up 4% of all complaints for the 1998.
Is there a recall for Dodge Stratus seat belt problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 04V-532 (rear/other, Nov 2, 2004); 98V-063 (anchorage, Mar 20, 1998). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Dodge Stratus seat belt problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 83,000 miles; 39% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the rear/other (14 mentions), followed by the front › buckle assembly (13).
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.