Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (buckles, retractors, anchors and pretensioners).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Toyota Camry owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving on the freeway at 60 - 65 MPH. I am a cautious driver and am always aware of the conditions around me. Suddenly, my car just took off like a shot. It was going at an extremely high speed on the freeway. I had no control over it. There are dark skid marks on the road from my braking. I tried to turn the car to straighten it out, but the next thing I knew I had flipped into the median. I flipped two times in the air before crashing, hood first, on the median. I did nothing to cause this. I was merely driving, in the slow lane, at a safe speed. It is a miracle I am alive, and even more-so that I wasn't injured. The air bags did not deploy. At the end of the accident, my seat belt was unlatched. I am going to receive a citation for this. I have done research on 2005 Camry's since this happened, and have seen that it is a common problem. …
I have driven a Toyota Camry for 14 years and have never had an accident nor a traffic citation. In October 2004 we bought a new Toyota Camry. On April 25, 2005 I drove to a meeting at a private home on a 27 acre farm. I had two passengers in the car. When backing up very slowly to turn the car around I had a sudden unexpected speed surge. Brakes did not work. I glanced off one car damaging the back bumper and putting a crease in the side, then hit a pickup truck square on its bumper knocking off the licence plate. Since there were people, cars and buildings behind me, I managed to get it out of reverse but then it surged forward (no brakes) went about 150 ft and I had to turn off the key in an attempt to slow the car down. This was on a long gravel driveway and the car was out of control. …
This isn't an incident, but apparently has LED to an incident for many. Drivers side shoulder belts easily fold over itself on the side, so then won't retract through the slot in the pillar. ***safety issue*** due to design, happened a lot. Replacement of assembly seems to not be a reliable fix, per many owners, and not just Camry, many years. ** recall needed: ** Toyota made info on how to deal with it findable and available, owners could resolve it - over and over. ***Toyota & dealers haven't made the info available. I spent three hours online, countless people asking how do I..... If a person knows how, they can undo the problem, then can minimize probability of it happening again *** by slowly pulling belt, and *** especially releasing it slowly. ***when it gets messed up, move the shoulder height adjuster on the piller up and down until it fixes. …
I bought a certified 2005 Toyota Camry xle from autowest Honda, roseville. I was told that the car had no accidents and the car is clean per the carfax. I have had the front passenger seat belt replaced and now the driver front seat belt is going out. I received a post card for a free appraisal at 60,000 miles and I took my car into the Toyota dealership and they told me the car has been in an accident prior to me purchasing the vehicle. The front end frame is bent and parts have been replaced and the car is maybe worth $8,000 and the car should of been sold as salvage and not certified car. The front bumper is coming off and also the paint chipped off on the side of the accident. The paint is different in the front from the hood. I do not know the date of the incident date, as for it happened prior to me purchasing the car.
We owned a 2005 Toyota Camry. My husband was the driver and was involved in a serious accident when he was cut off while entering a state highway in baltimore, maryland. My 5 year old son was in the back seat behind the passenger seat in a booster seat with his seat belt on. During the impact, my son was unrestrained due to a failure of the seat belt. The seat belt never caught in the retracting mechanism allowing my son to be thrown forward into the passenger seat. My son had a massive head trauma and was air-lifted to johns hopkins. He was released the next morning with a serious concussion. The other passengers had very minor injuries.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that the seat belts were folded over and appeared very loose. The seat belts had no strength and would not tighten. The vehicle was taken to I-10 Toyota (78980 varner rd, indio, ca 92203, [phone]) where the mechanics unfolded the front driver and passenger seat belts; however, the failure recurred. The contact's son had to get the vehicle repaired five times. The seat belts continued to fold and were too tight to fasten. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 77,800.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while traveling 55 MPH, the contact crashed into a deer. Upon impact, the air bags failed to deploy. The contact also stated that the seat belt failed to properly restrain her during the crash. The contact sustained a broken back. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the vehicle was functioning properly and the air bag should not have deployed because it was not near the sensor. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.
In 2015 I purchased my 2005 Toyota Camry with less than 50K miles and the seat belts appeared fine. Within a month I noticed the driver's seat belt would not retract. It malfunctioned both when the car was off and on and regardless if it was in any gear or position. I paid someone to lubricate it and that failed to fix the problem. Then I paid the Toyota dealership almost $500 to replace the defective seat belt! I have owned a Camry before for over 10 years and it never had this problem. I think I should be refunded for that defective product.
Front seat belts are jamming and getting folded and thus creating a driving hazard. They become stuck and won't retract sometimes leaving too much slack. They twist inside the side panel of the vehicle and you have to remove the molding to retract the seatbelt. This has happened multiple times with both front seats both driver and passenger. I am just taking the time today to log this complaint hoping maybe there is a recall I am not aware of.
Tl contact owns a 2005 Toyota Camry. During a rear end crash, the seat belt in the contact's vehicle failed. As a result, the consumer's wife struck the steering wheel and suffered head and chest injuries. The contact stated that the seat belt failed to work properly. The vehicle was destroyed and a police report was filed. The current and failure mileages were 22,345. Updated 03/17/09. Updated 03/17/09.
Related recalls
Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a front passenger power seat, when installing certain rear-facing infant child seat bases onto the seat with an excessively high seatbelt tension, it May be possible to unseat a component called the buckle status switch from the seat belt buckle.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the front passenger seatbelt buckle status switch. This safety improvement campaign (ssc 40m) began on December 20, 2004. Owners should contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or Lexus at 1-800-255-3987..
Seat Belt complaints in other Camry years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat belt problems on the 2005 Toyota Camry?
NHTSA has 46 complaints about the seat belts of the 2005 Toyota Camry, 6% of the model year's 721 complaints. The component named most often is front (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Toyota Camry seat belt problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 04V-595 (buckle assembly, Dec 15, 2004). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2005 Toyota Camry seat belt problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 78,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 8 crashes, 0 fires and 8 injuries to seat belts problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.