Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
Seat belt or seat problems
Most reported: 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 501 reports. Across the 507 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 9,323.
- 9,323owner reports
- 507model years affected
- 50,000median miles
- 641involved a crash
- 105involved a fire
This group covers the belt and the seat it's bolted to: buckles that won't latch or won't let go, belts that lock up and won't pull out, and seats that shift or rock in their tracks. It's a wide bucket, with over 9,000 complaints across the vehicles on this site, and a quarter of them mention a recall.
Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do
The 25 vehicles with the most reports
Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of seat belt reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.
- 12014 Jeep Grand Cherokee1 crash1 firerecall50125% of its complaints75k mi
- 22015 Jeep Grand Cherokee3 crashes37027% of its complaints67k mi
- 32014 Dodge Durango1 crashrecall21529% of its complaints72k mi
- 421480% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 52018 Tesla Model 31 crashrecall15215% of its complaints57k mi
- 62014 Jeep Patriot8 crashes1 firerecall13627% of its complaints49k mi
- 72021 Hyundai Palisade1 crashrecall12128% of its complaints50k mi
- 82014 Chrysler Town & Country4 crashes1 fire10918% of its complaints76k mi
- 92015 Dodge Durango1 fire10721% of its complaints70k mi
- 102019 Ford Expedition1 crash2 firesrecall10521% of its complaints81k mi
- 112015 Dodge Journey2 crashes1 fire9317% of its complaints66k mi
- 122015 Chrysler Town & Country3 crashes8623% of its complaints70k mi
- 132022 Hyundai Palisaderecall8227% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 142023 Hyundai Palisaderecall8120% of its complaints26k mi
- 152014 Ford Fusion6 crashesrecall796% of its complaints62k mi
- 162014 Jeep Compass1 crashrecall7828% of its complaints48k mi
- 172019 Tesla Model 3recall7713% of its complaints49k mi
- 182014 Chevrolet Silverado 15008 crashes1 firerecall745% of its complaints42k mi
- 192016 Ford Explorer1 firerecall723% of its complaints49k mi
- 202015 Ford F-1506 crashes2 firesrecall704% of its complaints10k mi
- 212020 Hyundai Palisaderecall6512% of its complaints37k mi
- 222025 Hyundai Palisade1 crashrecall6527% of its complaints19k mi
- 232014 Dodge Grand Caravan2 crashes6419% of its complaints83k mi
- 242014 Dodge Avenger6 crashesrecall6031% of its complaints78k mi
- 252015 Dodge Grand Caravan1 crash5921% of its complaints69k mi
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe seat belt. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 121480% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 22026 Hyundai Palisaderecall4942% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 32014 Dodge Avenger6 crashesrecall6031% of its complaints78k mi
- 42014 Dodge Durango1 crashrecall21529% of its complaints72k mi
- 52021 Hyundai Palisade1 crashrecall12128% of its complaints50k mi
- 62014 Jeep Compass1 crashrecall7828% of its complaints48k mi
- 72015 Jeep Grand Cherokee3 crashes37027% of its complaints67k mi
- 82022 Hyundai Palisaderecall8227% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 92025 Hyundai Palisade1 crashrecall6527% of its complaints19k mi
- 102014 Jeep Patriot8 crashes1 firerecall13627% of its complaints49k mi
By model, every year together
The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.
- Jeep Grand Cherokee1,017
- Ford F-150199
- Jeep Patriot197
- Nissan Rogue195
When it happens
3,828 of the 9,323 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 21,930 and 76,000 miles; the median is 50,000. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of seat belt, grouped by the model year of the car. 641 involved a crash and 105 a fire. 1,335 people were hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 9,323 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
The complaints split along the parts. About one in five mentions a belt that locks, sticks or won't extend, which points at the retractor, the reel the belt winds onto. Nearly as many mention the buckle, the latch or the release. Around one in ten talks about a seat that moves, rocks or is loose, and a smaller group is really about seat heaters or power seat motors. Owners give a median of about 46,000 miles.
Recalls in the data follow the same split. Honda's 23V-158 replaced front buckle release buttons on some 2017 to 2020 CR-Vs, 2018 to 2020 Odysseys and other models, because the buckle channel could stop the belt from latching. GM's 20V-811 swapped bolts that may not have held the belts in place on some 2020 and 2021 GM models, from the Bolt EV to full-size pickups. Ford's 19V-633 went after seat backs instead, replacing recliners that were missing a pawl needed for strength on some F-series trucks, Explorers and Expeditions. Tesla's 24V-376 fixed a warning chime that could stay silent with the driver unbelted, through a software update.
A belt that won't latch is a problem today, before any shop sees it. The recall language is plain about why: a belt that isn't latched or anchored can't restrain the person in the seat in a crash. Move a passenger to a seat whose belt works, and get the car in quickly. A seat that rocks or feels loose on its track deserves the same urgency, since the Ford recall describes a loose seat back as one that may not hold an occupant in a crash.
A dealer usually starts by inspecting the part in question; under the Ford and GM recalls above, that meant checking the recliner or the belt's anchor bolts before replacing anything. Tell the service desk which seat, which part (buckle, belt reel or the seat itself), and whether it fails every time or only now and then. If a belt stayed locked after a hard stop or a crash, say that too.
Start with NHTSA's recall lookup by VIN, since the recall files hold dozens of seat belt campaigns and the repair is free. For anything not under recall, get it on a repair order during the warranty: the FTC says a defect you report in that period must be fixed even if the warranty ends first.
Sources
- NHTSA recall 23V-158, Honda seat belt buckle
- NHTSA recall 20V-811, GM seat belt bolts
- NHTSA recall 19V-633, Ford seat back recliners
- NHTSA recall 24V-376, Tesla seat belt warning
- Check for recalls, NHTSA
- Warranties, FTC Consumer Advice
- Complaint counts, mileages and phrase shares: NHTSA complaint files as tallied on this site
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,040 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 27, 2026. All problem explainers.