Tl* the contact owns a 1996 buick riviera. The contact stated that the front driver side seat belt failed. The contact stated that he attempted to put the seat belt on but it failed to connect. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection but they did not provide the cause of failure, just the replacement part number. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and they stated that the part was no longer available. The failure mileage was 76,000. The VIN was not available.
Buick Riviera seat belt problems
18 of the 293 owner complaints about the Buick Riviera describe seat belt won't latch or retract, most of them for the 1995 model year.
- owner complaints
- 18
- worst model year
- 1995
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
What owners say
Seat belt failure: the seat belt fastener(clasp/hook) on my 1996 buick riviera VIN # [xxx] has failed. Insertion of the male end of the belt into the female fastener fails to result in the unit locking. Buick states they have no recall on this issue or any responsibility to repair it. The rear passenger seat belt (left side, I.e. Behind driver) fails to retract the belt or snug it up after the belt is fastened. This results in more than a foot of slack belt and thus affords little protection to a passenger in the event of accident. Although there is a buick recall on precisely this problem for this make and model car (gm 00023, dated 15 november 2000, in response to a 28 february 2000 the federal safety agency recall order, number 00v057000) buick tells me it does not cover my vehicles VIN number and is also not their responsibility to repair. Since both issues clearly involve safety issues, I thought the federal safety agency would be interested. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Dt*: the contact stated the driver seat belt catches and will not feed. The vehicle was taken to a service dealer who mentioned, the federal safety agency recall # 113343 pertaining to the seat belt webbing. The vehicle was not included in the recall. Updated 9/27/2006 - the vehiclw was also not included in the steering shaft coupler recall 91v-157000. The driver's seat belt would not lock up.
The drivers' side seat belt buckle will not latch and must be replaced.
The seat belt will not retract.
The consumer took the vehicle to have recall repair oov-057 of the rear seat belt, the consumer requested that the dealer also replace the front seat belt since they failed in the same manner as the rear (not retracting), the consumer paid for the repair of the front seat belts but feels they should have been recalled with the rear ones since they exhibited the same failure. Nlm
Consumer received recall 00v057000 regarding seat belt retractor failure. Dealer refused to correct recall problem. Consumer indicated seat belts were inoperable.
Driver's side seatbelt doesn't retract. Dealership is aware of the defect. She has to replaced it herself.
Rear seat belt will not retract. Dealer has been contacted.
Rear seats seat belt retractors broke. *ak both rear seat belt retractors failed within one week of each other.
Related recalls
Seat belts: front: webbing
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The rear shoulder belt(s) do not retract. A retainer could separate from a rear seat shoulder belt retractor which results in the retractor return spring becoming disengaged.
- Risk
- In a crash, an occupant may receive more severe injuries if there is excessive slack in the shoulder belt.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect both rear shoulder belt retractors for correct function and install a spring cover retaining strap to each retractor. If a retractor does not function correctly, it will be replaced.
Recall number 00V057000 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: webbing
- What is wrong
- The front outer shoulder belt web sew stop can become stuck in the retractor. The belt can be difficult to pull out of the retractor and some occupants may not be able to fasten the belt.
- Risk
- This condition can prevent a person from using their restraint system resulting in an increased risk of injury in an accident.
- Remedy
- Dealer will install a webbing stop button if the customer requests repair.
Recall number 95V110000 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: retractor
- What is wrong
- Misaligned rear seat safety belt shoulder retractor assemblies could cause pendulum interference, causing the belt to remain in locked position or to travel freely without locking.
- Risk
- In the event of a panic stop or accident, if the belt retractor inertia lock does not engage, the rear seat occupant would have an increased likelihood of injury.
- Remedy
- Realign rear shoulder belt retractor assembly.
Recall number 90V028000 · Recall details
Questions about the Buick Riviera seat belt
Which Buick Riviera years have seat belt won't latch or retract problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1995 (10 complaints), 1996 (5 complaints) and 1991 (1 complaints).
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