swapping seat belts

just picked up my first tacoma and I love it! not too auto savvy tho so I was wondering if someone could answer this question for me. could I take out one of the back seat seatbelts and use it for the passenger seat? if not where is a good place to start looking for a cheaper seatbelt? thanks!!

 

If I suspected a faulty seat belt I would replace it with a Genuine Toyota Part and not futz around trying to save money.

 

back seatbelts won't fit in the front.

What's wrong with the belt? Cheapest route might be to use someone like https://www.safetyrestore.com/ and have them repair/rebuild your belt.

OEM belt is a lot more money but you know it will fit, it will work and will be the correct color. if it's still available...

 

I replaced mine about a year ago with OEM.
Keep in mind that you do not get the latch/ button mechanism for either side that is next to the console, that is if you have a console.

 

actually makes sense probably shouldn't try to cheap out on a safety part lol

 

the belt is completely missing haha there is just an empty hole where the bolt is supposed to go. thanks for answering my question ill start looking for a new belt!

 

where did u purchase from?

 

well there goes the idea of sending that one off to get repaired!!

car-part.com is a good source for used belts (or local junk yard but Tacomas rarely pop up for me. maybe you have better luck). Also you can check the BST here on TW for a part out. Luckily 98 is the last year before the explosive pre-tensioner which makes the belts more expensive and a more costly to ship.

As far as I know, belts are pretty specific - bucket seat fits bucket seat and bench seat fits bench seat. I'm not sure why one wouldn't fit in the other but when I was looking around to buy a belt for mine, that's what I was finding. Also have to be careful year to year. 99 won't work in 98 for example but 97 may work in a 98.

Good luck!

 

Escondido Toyota in North San Diego county.

 

yea I checked out car-part but there wasn't even any seat belts coming up for my tacoma. and that's some good information man thank you! I'll keep all those things in mind when I shop.

 

thanks man ill have to check out my local yota dealership

 

How'd you search? I found plenty of them. Because the listings are sometimes a little vague and unclear, you'll probably want to call to confirm that they're offering the exact thing you need.

 

As you can see, prices vary quite a bit as does I'm sure the quality and condition of the belt.

 

well I was on the wrong website lmao. thanks for help man much appreciated!

 

I just got a driver belt in blue/grey from Camelback for around $150. It is nice to have new…

 

Answer: No! Unless you have no concern for your safety. In which case, why bother replacing the restraint?

Reason: Seat belt restraints are position specific for many reasons. For example, every seat belt restraint mechanism has an inertial mechanism to lock the belt webbing spool when the retractor surpasses a design g-force threshold. If a passenger side belt restraint is moved over to the left side of the vehicle, the inertial lock mechanism will be reversed and the retractor will not function at all! In addition, retractors in different seating positions may have different torque limiting features which allow for belt payout when the loads on the belt exceed a design threshold limit. For example, a driver restraint might be spec'd with a 5kN torque limiter and a passenger retractor might have a 3kN torque limiter. This is because the belt restraints are part of a "safety system", which includes the seat, the IP, the airbags, the vehicle structure, etc. The driver's occupant's crash dynamics are distinctly different from the passenger occupant's because of airbag size, steering wheel position, seat type, etc. There are other features such as pretensioners, sensors, etc. that are also position specific.

Finally, never skimp on brakes or tires, and never modify or jury rig any part of the restraint system, including seat mounts, if you want to maintain the level of safety performance designed into the vehicle. Just to give you an idea of the sensitivity and complex engineering of a seat belt restraint retractor inertial lock, if a new retractor is ever dropped at any time from the origin of it's manufacture to its installation in a vehicle at the vehicle assembly plant, the $30 retractor is thrown out because it's proper function can no longer be assured. Don't buy a junk yard retractor. You don't know its history. You cannot tell if it had been dropped. If the car had been in a wreck, the internal components might be deformed, which is by design. Seat belt restraint retractors are like helmets, one and done.

 

yea that makes sense I wasn't really thinking that through. I'm going to buy a legit oem seatbelt instead of skimping out. and yea the first thing I did was put brand new tires on it and I always do my brakes legit. no need to skimp out and cause accidents or hurt myself even worse during one. thanks for the input!

 

I just did a quick search and it looks like you can get a new, pass side retractor for a buck and half or less. Hopefully, they ship it in a well padded box. That would be my personal choice unless I removed it from a donor vehicle myself I knew the donor truck wasn't in a big wreck or at the very least, no one was using that belt when the truck wrecked.

If you go the shipping route, I would gently rotate it next to your ear and listen for the inertial lock mech to make a little noise. Don't shake it, just gently roll it around. Then after installing it, make a few panic stops to ensure that the inertial lock mech is functioning correctly. Note that the inertial lock is a separate action from the belt payout lock. You may have noticed that if you yank the seat belt webbing with a very quick tug, the belt will lock. That is a different lock from the inertial lock which locks the retractor if the vehicle is at an extreme incline attitude or rapidly accelerates/decelerates.

 

Was anyone able to get it shipped? I replaced mine a while back but I initially tried going through camelback. They wouldn't ship it citing safety issues which left me confused.

I ended up getting my replacement through my local dealer.