1. 2003 suburban z71 , rattle and clunk in steering column, nothing loose in the steering just clunking noise while driving. The steering shaft has been replaced 3 times. 2. Second row middle seat belt failed to retract and unable to fasten belt without force. Corrected 3. Latches located on the back of the second row seats to hold up the third row floor boards when using third row have broken numerous times (latches are plastic which makes no sense) 4. Paint on the rear bumper and left by gas tank fill rusted (this was corrected) 5. Driver seat motor runs after vehicle turned off. This has been brought to the dealers attention many times and they were unable to duplicate problem. 6. Rear access door weather striping stretched. 7. Truck failed to start for numerous reasons other then dead battery. Fuel tank pump module went bad. Crank shaft position sensor went bad. The most recent of 1/20/07 has not yet been determined. This is a major problem as the truck is not reliable. Infact my 1994 ford explorer is more reliable then this truck problems began in 2003, starting with 2nd row seat belt issues 8. Excessive squeaking from front end, numerous complaints made to dealer, belts replaced and pulleys cleaned several times then pulleys readjusted. 9. Left rear door failed to open.
2003 Chevrolet Suburban: seat belt won't latch or retract
6 of the 301 complaints about the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban describe seat belt won't latch or retract.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- recalls
- 1
Seat belt won't latch or retract by model year
What owners say
The driver's seat belt failed on my 2003 chevy suburban lt. From the time I purchased the vehicle new in oct 2003 until the seat belt finally outright failed, I noticed several instances where the seat belt tension locking mechanism would apparently jam and either not release for proper adjustment, or fail to engage and take up extra belt slack. This seemed to self correct for short periods before re-emerging. Finally, the tension mechanism stopped working completely. This left my seat belt totally limp and useless with no spring-like function to take-up the excess belt portion and unable to properly tighten and secure the driver in place. I called my chev dealership and expressed my desire to have this fixed immediately as a safety issue. They argued with me as to whether the symptom I described was actually a problem or not and indicated that they would have to order parts. Approx. 10 days later they notified me that I could bring it in for repair, but that they would assess carefully if actually a warranty item or not. Upon bringing the vehicle in, the chev dealership mechanic decided that yes - they would fix it under warranty. The repair however, was quite lengthy in time and involved three chev mechanics who worked in greta frustration and confusion as to how to replace the belt and tension device as they had little experience or knowledge in how to actually install the new part. I got the distinct impression that a proper tech support manual was either lacking or they simply chose not to follow it very well. Regardless, some thee hours later they deemed the belt fixed - and to their credit, I have not had any recurrent problem with the seat belt mechanism. In hindsight, I'm not sure how frequent this particular safety failure has occurred in 2003 chev suburbans, but I decided to make it a matter of record in case chev needs to better address how dealership mechanics should respond to similar critical safety repairs in the future.
My 5 year old child was buckled into the seat belt, he was playing with the seat belt put his legs through the seat belt, he unbuckled the seat belt to untangle and rebuckle, when he unfastened the seat belt the slack went back into the holder, the seat belt being locked would not move until it was completely released , there was no way to release completely since it was around his waist and no way for him to get out, there was not enough slack for him to move, as our fingers would not even fit in between the seat belt and his waist. We had to cut the seat belt to get him out. ****there needs to be a release button so that the seat belts release if this occurs again.*****
Consumer called complaining about having problems with seat belt buckle. If tapping on the buckle it will release the seat belt. Manufacturer won't do any thing about it.
Consumer stated that seat belt will lock up before braking. Dealer notified.
The rear seat belt locked and had to be cut to release a child from the seat belt.
Service bulletins that may apply
- This informational bulletin provides information to advise dealers about seat belt buckles not operating...
- Gm: there are seat belt problems: difficulty latching and unlatching buckle
- Repairing napped seat fabric
- Enabling memory seat feature via dic if feature appears inoperative
- Availability of rear seat shoulder belt comfort guides
Related recalls
Seat belts: rear/other
- What is wrong
- On certain crew cab pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, the 2nd row center occupant seat belt routing may make it difficult to position the lap portion of the safety belt low around the hips of occupants, especially smaller occupants, seated in this position. Appropriate use of a child seat or booster seat, as recommended for small children, does improve the fit condition for this user group. In addition to instructions on proper infant and young child restraint (with child seats or boosters), special verbiage for restraining older child is included in the owner's manual. Also, the suggested seat belt fit/routing for adults, irrespective of seating position, is described in the owner's manual text.
- Risk
- A lap portion of the seat belt routing that is not low and snug on the hips can allow the lap belt to ride up on an occupant's abdomen instead of fitting low around their hipbones, and therefore, can expose them to more risk of abdominal and internal organ injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will cut open the guide loop, remove a portion of the loop, and then the remaining two sides should be folded over and secured with a retainer free of charge. The recall began on july 21, 2005. Owners may contact cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339, chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463, or hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493.
Recall number 05V163000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban seat belt
Is seat belt won't latch or retract a common problem on the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban?
6 of 301 owner complaints about the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban (2%) mention seat belt won't latch or retract. The model year with the most reports is 2001.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban?
There is 1 recall and 5 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban
Brake failure 34ABS 14Fuel pump 10Harsh shifting 10Airbag light 8Loss of power 8Stalling 8Tire blowout 7Won't start 6Fuel gauge 5
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