Toyota Lexus Scion Stuck Seat Belt Buckle Receptacle Inspection, Disassembly ('98 Rav4 buckle shown)

This video shows how to inspect and disassemble Toyota seat belt buckles (receptacles) which have been used from the '90's to current. Check the Pinned Comment for Timestamps and other information:
Timestamps:
00:22 In-vehicle inspection
03:30 Bench inspection
05:10 Remove the outer trim cover
06:59 Bench inspection of the open buckle
09:21 Test the open buckle in a vehicle
12:31 Disassemble the open buckle
14:28 Where the broken pieces came from
15:34 Demo plastic welding the broken parts
16:14 Re-assemble the buckle parts
20:45 Re-assemble the buckle to the trim cover
21:37 Test the closed buckle in a vehicle
Video DIY to replace the '96 - '00 Rav4 seat belt buckle:
• '96 - '00 Toyota Rav4 ...
I hope this video was helpful for you. Thanks for watching, and good luck with your repair!

[@DelbertWarner]

I really appreciate the detail that you did in this video. I was trying to repair my 2002 Sienna seat belt assembly. I found the very same little red plastic wings when I took it apart. I couldn't tell if they had broken off or not and would never have figured out their location without watching your video. I tried gluing things together with super glue, but unfortunately it would not hold.

[@walter9425]

I found your video while searching for information about disassembling a Tacoma seat belt receptacle. What a pleasant surprise. You're a very good mechanic, an astute repair person, and an articulate presenter. Thank you, and keep up the good work.

[@L35inColorado]

Thanks! Please post back with any tips if there are differences with your Tacoma seat belt. Thanks for watching : )

[@walter9425]

@@L35inColorado The Tacoma buckle was a little different. The casing was more robust and rigid, and would not respond to disassembly efforts. So replacement was the only option. The new buckle, from Toyota, came with an integral wiring harness. In removing the old buckle, it was not possible to remove the old harness without a complete seat removal, as the harness is routed through a hole in the seat assembly through which the connector will not fit. So, instead, I unwrapped the electrical tape from the harness at the buckle end to reveal a small flat connecting "chip" that easily snapped out of its mounting in the buckle. The replacement buckle was manufactured the same way, so I was able to use the old harness with the new buckle. It is possible to install the connecting chip upside down, which I inadvertently did on my first try. After correcting my mistake, it all worked fine. I didn't do any seat disassembly. Everything was easily accessible, since the harness remained in place. If someone is replacing a defective buckle, I'd highly recommend they do it this way, retaining the old harness in place, and connecting it to the new buckle.

[@L35inColorado]

@@walter9425 Wow - thanks for documenting these details and sharing your tips! This will certainly be helpful for myself and others. Thanks again and nice work! : )

[@azul66lc]

❤great video Loved her voice Very well spoken 😊

[@L35inColorado]

Thank you, and thanks for watching! : )

[@L35inColorado]

Timestamps: 00:22 In-vehicle inspection 03:30 Bench inspection 05:10 Remove the outer trim cover 06:59 Bench inspection of the open buckle 09:21 Test the open buckle in a vehicle 12:31 Disassemble the open buckle 14:28 Where the broken pieces came from 15:34 Demo plastic welding the broken parts 16:14 Re-assemble the buckle parts 20:45 Re-assemble the buckle to the trim cover 21:37 Test the closed buckle in a vehicle Video DIY to replace the '96 - '00 Rav4 seat belt buckle: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHO3lHV5qpWnl5o I hope this video was helpful for you. Thanks for watching, and good luck with your repair!

[@zacharyfirnhaber5639]

Thank you for the video. The plastic parts in my 2003 Tundra are slowly breaking down. I will switch out with passenger side until I get new parts. And yes, you have a great voice, you could do radio or voiceover work!

[@L35inColorado]

Yes, we're now at the age when our 90's and early '00's Toyotas (like your Tundra!) are going to see more failures from two decades of plastic aging. Luckily, there are still replacement parts, and since I think these Toyotas especially (from about the '92 - '12 model years) are the most reliable Toyotas and will be on the road for a long time, hopefully parts will be available for a long time, too! Thanks for watching, and thanks for keeping your '03 Tundra on the road! : )

[@kuthumi]

This is a great video review of how the buckles work. Explains alot of the inner workings. I appreciate the time spent. Thank you. Would love to have seen how the buckles are removed. Thank you. Keep up the great work.

[@L35inColorado]

Thanks - if you mean how to buckles are removed from the seats, here it is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHO3lHV5qpWnl5o I hope that helps - thanks for watching! : )

[@emilianorangel8798]

Excellent video! Thank so much for breaking down every step.

[@L35inColorado]

Thanks, and thanks for watching! : )

[@tecguy2013]

What we did on a 2002 Camry and it would probably work on other Toyota models as well is just remove the floor bolts (14mm) to the seats and then remove headrest then lean it forward towards the front window. That should give you access to the 14 mm bolt on the side of the seat to remove the seatbelt buckle. You'll have to fish out the wiring if you have a wired model seat belt.

[@L35inColorado]

That is a great tip - thanks for sharing, and thanks for watching! : )

[@johnr1891]

Thanks so much for this excellent video which has helped me disasemble and fix my Toyota belt buckle which had some broken plastic from the top push down button stuck inside.

[@L35inColorado]

That's great! Well done on your DIY! Thanks for watching : )

[@colleenoloughlin3970]

I have fixed many laptop plastic injuries with the super glue / baking soda trick even hìnge parts that get a lot of use. Those red pieces are kinda small but I'd still try just cause! and you put out great content. are very well spoken and the detail is amazing. The arrows etc that you use helps so much, especially since I'm getting ready to fix a 2012 sienna middle row seat belt latch.😊

[@L35inColorado]

That's great! Please post back with your tips - and thanks for watching! : )

[@StoneKathryn]

Thanks for this disassembly! This will help me with my investigation of my back seat belt buckle!

[@L35inColorado]

Thanks for watching! : )

[@danman2070]

Thanks so much for this. I have a seatbelt buckle for a Suzuki Alto, and it's a little different to the two tab versions shown on allot of youtube videos. The tabs I'm referring to are the ones you wedge the screwdriver under. My seatbelt buckle doesn't have these tabs, but instead has a flat piece of metal that supports the sliding mechanism which is pushed down by the seatbelt metal insert. It's flush with the plastic case backing it so it's hard to see. Very similar to yours. I'll have to wedge under that piece of metal like you did. It'll be a little hard but now that I know it makes it easier. Thanks again.

[@L35inColorado]

Wow, thanks for adding your tips in such detail for your model of seat belt - that will certainly help others, and myself if I encounter such a style. Thanks for watching! : )

[@philiposhields9480]

Thank you.

[@L35inColorado]

Thanks for watching! : )

[@Brian_L_5168]

The tear-down & attention to detail are simply amazing..! The 2 broken red plastic doesn't seem to serve any safety purpose so if someone can use a skinny pick & pry broken plastic out, the buckle should be back in business? My W203 seat belt buckle button suffers slow going down & slow going up. I spray with teflon / silicone lubricant and it will be smooth for another year or two. Mercedes seat belt is part of SRS system so I try not tearing things apart, you are brave 💯

[@L35inColorado]

I'm not sure exactly what those two broken pieces do, but my best guess is that they return the top of the buckle to be flush with the case. The receptacle does work and locks fine without them (as long as they aren't in there gumming it up) - but the receptacle red part doesn't seem to "rebound" to that flush point with the case. If it is the difference between having a buckle or not, then it is at least worth a shot to remove those broken pieces and try. And I know what you mean about the Mercedes buckles - in the W163, there is a sensor for the SRS system, to detect passengers (front and rear). So if you remove a seat and leave the sensor disconnected, it trips the SRS light until you either put the seat back in, or fool the sensor into thinking there's a seat (ie, with a 100 Ohm resistor). MB makes everything waaaaaay too complicated! : ) Thanks for watching!

[@danman2070]

Sorry, another question. My seatbelt buckles are identical to yours and due to seeing your video I instantly knew what the little plastic parts were. I'm wondering if it would be better to replace those two little plastic springs with a metal spring mounted to the top of the separate inner plastic red piece you pulled out of the slider, and the underside of the seatbelt button? Small metal springs, even glued to those surfaces would be more reliable, they would be too big to fall into the works, and would provide a strong return click. Just wondering what your thoughts are on that? Thanks

[@L35inColorado]

I don't know - there's probably a way to do it, but I haven't tinkered with that myself! The buckle does work without those little broken parts, but as you point out, it doesn't have the full return. Please post back with an update if you're able to make something work - good luck! : )

[@sandymitchell7785]

Thanks soooo much ‼️

[@L35inColorado]

Thank you for watching! : )

[@CarlosContreras-gk9gp]

❤

[@midnightsunturbo]

Hello baby sheep😂

[@L35inColorado]

Haha! It sounds just like them!! 😅

[@mikemartin6748]

You show the seatbelt buckle in the vehicle and then out of the vehicle, but you don't show how to remove it from the vehicle.

[@L35inColorado]

The removal process for the seat belt buckles varies from model to model. For the Rav4, it is easiest to remove the seats, then there's just one 14mm bolt. For other models, you might not need to remove the seats. It just depends!

[@tecguy2013]

What we did on a Camry and it would probably work on other Toyota models as well is just remove the floor bolts (14mm) to the seats and then remove headrest then lean it forward towards the front window. That should give you access to the 14 mm bolt on the side of the seat to remove the seatbelt buckle. You'll have to fish out the wiring if you have a wired model seat belt.

[@johnd942]

Not a bad video in the end, but you do 'ramble on' a bit too much. Thank you.

[@L35inColorado]

Haha! Thanks for watching : )

[@jianliu946]

it's not work with warning light. 😂

[@L35inColorado]

If you mean the seat belt warning light - it depends on the model. Some Toyota's have the sensor in the pretensioner assembly, and others have the sensor at the receptacle. For the Rav4 shown, the sensor is on the pretensioner side, so there no sensor/electrical to worry about on the receptacle side (as shown in the video). The easier/quickest way to see which version your model has (if you don't know) is to unbuckle the belt (remove the latch from the receptacle) while the engine is running, but don't allow the belt to retract at all. If you light illuminates as soon as the belt is unbuckled, then you have a sensor in the receptacle. If your light doesn't illuminate, then allow the pretensioner to retract the belt - you'll see that the light will eventually illuminate once the belt retracts to a certain point. You can also determine this by ascertaining if your model has an electrical connection at the receptacle: if it does, then there's a sensor the receptacle. I hope that helps - good luck!