Seat Belt complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2022 | 2 | 3% | — |
| 2021 | 2 | 2% | — |
| 2020 | 2 | 2% | — |
| 2019 | 4 | 2% | 20,000 miles |
| 2018 | 2 | 1% | 0 miles |
| 2017 | 3 | 1% | 75,000 miles |
| 2016 | 2 | 1% | 30,000 miles |
| 2015 | 2 | 2% | 18,000 miles |
| 2014 | 5 | 5% | 88,000 miles |
| 2013 | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2012 | 2 | 1% | 0 miles |
| 2011 | 2 | 1% | 85,000 miles |
| 2010 | 9 | 3% | 49,000 miles |
| 2009 | 5 | 1% | 14,000 miles |
| 2008 | 6 | 1% | 145,000 miles |
| 2007 | 5 | 1% | 69,000 miles |
| 2006 | 9 | 1% | 75,000 miles |
| 2005 | 6 | 1% | 189,000 miles |
| 2004 | 6 | 1% | 113,000 miles |
| 2003 | 5 | 1% | 112,000 miles |
| 2002 | 4 | 1% | 50,000 miles |
| 2001 | 5 | 1% | 129,000 miles |
| 2000 | 5 | 2% | 206,000 miles |
| 1999 | 6 | 2% | 154,000 miles |
| 1998 | 23 | 8% | 130,000 miles |
| 1997 | 11 | 8% | 137,000 miles |
| 1996 | 11 | 4% | 138,000 miles |
| 1995 | 6 | 3% | 160,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (buckles, retractors, anchors and pretensioners).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Due to the fact that we never test drove the 2019 Toyota Tacoma that we were given to purchase, and my husband drove the vehicle home I did not have the chance to try the vehicle until we arrived home. The first time that I sat in the vehicle, I felt extreme discomfort and electric shocks from the vehicle, very similar to the electric shocks that I received from the 2017 Toyota prius. My husband thought that it was caused from my health condition from my car accident and he agreed that, since I did not feel any discomfort driving the sienna, he would be the only that would drive the Tacoma and that I would primarily drive the sienna. …
The passenger seatbelt light keeps blinking when seat belt is buckled and it says passenger airbag is off while there is someone in there and buckled up. This happens when parked or driving, we have unhooked the battery to try to reset it. No luck. I am afraid if we were to get in an accident the passenger airbag would not deploy.
2017 Tacoma TRD Pro Water has been leaking through the rear air-pressure vents for quite some time. I have had a moldy/musty smell in the truck after a good rain for at least 6 months. Then I started noticing mold coming up on the driver's side kick plate. We went through all the diagnostic steps with Toyota dealership, who kept telling us it was the windshield leaking. We had the windshield removed and reset. The windshield people told us it was the cowl under the windshield allowing water to come in through the air filter behind the glovebox. We took it back to Toyota dealer and they could not find the problem. I paid them $165 to "not" diagnose my truck. They also handed me an estimate for $11,000 to remediate the mold. When we got the truck home, we started looking up the problem on Tacoma forums and YouTube and finally discovered it was the air vents behind the rear seat. …
Drivers side seat belt inoperable due to 2 inch long spring having come out of female receiver male tab will no longer lock in place. I was putting on seat belt and could not inset tab into seat belt spring was protruding from receptacle and when I pulled on spring it came completely out.
Any time I engage the 4x4 once you making a tight eight er left or right the steering kinda locks on you and if you trying to give some gas to make truck move it stalls I mentioned to Toyota dealership and the guy said a few people complained about the problem but he can't do anything about it......this creates a dangerous situation if I'm parked on a tight spot and need to engage my all wheel and I cant move the truck.... Or at any situation where I have to make a tight turn....had 4x4 before and none did this to me...... I have a Tacoma base 5 speed manual.
Were pulling out and smell of gas filled up the cab, jerking occurred. Experiences of intermittent acceleration had been occurring for a very long time as been made aware of recently. Smell of gas has been overwhelming. Vehicle now parked outside and will not drive until it can be fixed or replaced, have been warned of potential air bag failure in japanese plants found last week in this model. This vehicle is the only car we have, paid on it for a very long time. I have paid a lot of money to local dealership to keep service up to date, they have been difficult with me even though I have an extended warranty on it. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that the driver's seat belt fractured. The contact called centennial Toyota (located on 6551 centennial center blvd, las vegas, nv 89149) who stated that the contact would be charged for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer advised the contact to take the vehicle back to the dealer and the contact would be charged for the repair. The vehicle was repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 13V337000 (seat belts); however, the failure recurred. The VIN and failure mileage were unknown.
I had my mechanic take the passenger door panel off to investigate a rattle in the door. What he found was the seat belt anchor bolt for the front passenger had come loose and was rattling around inside the access door ( a rear door where the front passenger seatbelt is mounted). This is a serious safety problem as the seatbelt would not have worked properly in an accident, not being properly bolted/anchored to the vehicle. My mechanic stated he has never seen a bolt like this come loose before, usually they are so tight they are very difficult to remove. I have never received a recall notice for this problem and have always taken this vehicle in for all recalls. I am really upset as I now see Toyota has an informal recall for this problem, yet I had to pay a mechanic to fix it. The consumer did have the recall repair performed.
Related recalls (2)
Seat belts
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Tacoma Access Cab vehicles manufactured September 14, 2004, through March 29, 2010; and model year 2011 Tacoma Access Cab vehicles manufactured July 1, 2010, through September 7, 2011.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat belt assemblies. Based on the inspection, the seat belt assembly will be replaced or new pre-tensioner screws will be installed with thread-locking sealant…
Seat belts › Front
Certain pickup trucks fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, 'seat belt assemblies.' the driver's side seat belt has incorrect markings.
Remedy: Dealers have replaced the seat belts. No vehicles were sold to consumers.
Frequently asked questions
Which Toyota Tacoma years have seat belt problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1998 (23), 1996 (11), 1997 (11), 2006 (9) and 2010 (9) model years. Seat Belt complaints make up 8% of all complaints for the 1998.
Is there a recall for Toyota Tacoma seat belt problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 13V-337 (seat belts, Aug 7, 2013); 04V-214 (front, May 5, 2004). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Toyota Tacoma seat belt problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 99,000 miles; 26% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the front › retractor (19 mentions), followed by the front › anchorage (14).
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.