Rear Seat Buckling Problems in the 2010 Prius?

I took my own advice and went out to the local dealer to inquire about the seat belt extender and the parts dept person handed me a form to fill out.

He made no mention of the person using the seat belt extender would have to be there for measuring.

I guess I'll continue to help my mother-in-law buckle her seatbelt.

*In an earlier post I suggested to try ebay or googling "seat
belt extenders." Not sure if that would work either as the seat belt design (latching part) may be different.

Man, I am striking out here!
The "sock idea" may be the best / least intrusive if it works for you!

 

The driver side passenger seat belt has been very frustrating for more than one adult. With 2 buckles to choose from, neither seems to latch very well. Also, the seat belt seems to unexpectedly lock and then tightens when you try to release the lock. We have to unbuckle the seat belt to release the lock. Anyone else experiencing this?

 

Yes, I have the same problem only with the back seat on the passenger side. I was planning to ask the dealer about it when I bring the car in for the first time. Meanwhile I'm going to try socks or a scarf. Thanks for bringing up.

 

As a side note, longer buckle stalks tend to have more incompatibility issues with harnessed child safety seats. Shorter stalks that leave the buckle near the level of the seat cushion tend to interfere less with installation. I'm not sure if that's what Toyota had in mind with the 2010 Prius rear seatbelts, but it is a possibiliy.

If only the LATCH system had been more universal and easy to use, then the seatbelts could be designed for use exclusively with older kids and adults and no compromise would be necessary.

 

Make sure that the lower part of the belt (lap belt) is over the pelvic bones and not over your belly, as it might be with the belt extender.

 

Use this page to either fill in a complaint form or call the toll free hotline #.
Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), File A Safety Complaint

 

Everyone, this is Toyota's main Service Dept, contact email page. Please send them an email about this whole rear-seat belt business. they should be coming up with solutions. I have yet to see one. Thanks.
Go to Toyota for Owners. they provide you with a way to email them. (I could post a website on this post.)

 

I also find that the passenger side belt buckling difficulty is related to the fact that the male fastner catches on the female fastner for the center belt.

 

I have the same problem with my 6 and 4-yr-olds in their booster seats in our 2010 Prius. The buckles come up right next to the booster seat and they have a really hard time getting the latch in the buckle due to the short stalk and the stalk not being rigid enough to support any sort of downward pressure if you're not gripping the receptacle with your other hand. Even my buddies at work have a hard time with the rear buckles and have commented about them.

I'm considering purchasing a pair of 3" after-market seat belt clip extensions for use with the booster seats. Has anybody tried extenders like this?:

alturl.com/c45d (please paste into web browser, I'm not allowed to post links yet)

 

I can't comment on this particular product, but some extenders can cause very poor seatbelt fits with children in boosters or seatbelts.

I would also be concerned about a third party product not being designed well enough to withstand crash forces. Third party products are generally unregulated. They may claim to meet a standard, but there are no standards that actually apply to them or require any type of certification. Toyota makes OEM extenders for various models, though I do not know if they are suitable for children. These used to be free if obtained through your dealer, but I'm not sure if this is still the case.

If you do end up trying one, make extra sure that the lap belt and shoulder belt sections fit correctly or it can lead to severe abdominal "seatbelt syndrome" type injuries if they are not correctly positioned.

The IIHS has some good photos here-

IIHS research: booster seats

 

Thanks for the Link LOJac. Have you or anybody in this forum tried the extenders at the link above? Buckling the kids in their booster seats is becoming very frustrating every morning . Thanks in advance.

 

My kids never have any problem fastennjng their seat belt in he back. Not even my 5 yo. Sorry can't help. Good luck

 

I did purchase the 3" buckle extender (link in my previous post) about a month ago. It works well and the seatbelt buckles securely, although the operation still isn't as smooth as with the OEM buckles. They are the *perfect* height for my kids' Graco TurboBooster seats. Even with the 3" extension, the buckle is still below the top of the seat, so the belt drapes across the kid's bodies properly. My 6-yr-old doesn't have any trouble using the seat belt now, but my 4-yr-old doesn't have the strength to push open the buckle to release the belt from the extender (he's small for his age). We remove the extenders when adults sit in the back.

Overall I'm happy with the purchase and think it's better than having no extenders. I'd rate them three starts out of five.

** UPDATE 2/1/62011 ** We removed the third-party 3" extenders. They stopped buckling securely after several months, and one of them wouldn't release without extreme effort. Can't recommend them anymore.

 

Are they sitting in booster seats? If so, what kind? Our Graco TurboBoosters make it pretty hard to buckle into the OEM buckles, even for mom and dad.

 

Just picked up this thread -couldn't agree more- seatbelt buckling is a real problem that needs a fix or designing out. Only had Prius a couple of months and with booster seat in back buckling up causes major frustration.

 

Absolultely cannot reach the buckle for my kids in their booster seats. Terrible.

Do you know if the Prius (2010) takes 7/8 or 1 inch buckles?
DC

 

Just go to your dealer and ask for a seat belt extender. They are free. I got the smallest one they offer and it works fine with my daughter's booster seat.

 

Provided it does not compromise the fit of the lap or shoulder belt, as is the case with many extenders and also aftermarket seatbelt devices.

 

You can add me to the (growing) list of unhappy new Prius owners. My Prius is just two months old, and today we had our Grandson out for a trip. He could not latch the belt using his booster seat, I struggled to do it for him. My Wife then joined him in the driver's side rear seat. She could not latch her belt either, as the latch kept sinking down into the (cloth) seats. I tried it and had a very difficult time, finally succeeding by putting two fingers under the latch, pulling up, and then pressing the buckle in with my thumb! Absolutely rediculious!!! I think this will cause many folks to forego the seat belt and ride without one. (against the Law here in Florida) I have never experienced this problem in any of the many autos that I have owned. Very poor engineering on Toyota's part, IMHO.

Ed

 

The reality is that seatbelts are designed for adults. In fact, longer seatbelt stalks often cause problems with child safety seat installation. It's pretty much a tradeoff. Make them easier for older kids in boosters, the result is more potential for problematic child seat installations. Adults generally benefit from shorter stalks, too, as the fit generally comes down on the hips better.

So, it's not a simple matter of poor engineering. It's a question of what tradeoff to make. There will be unhappy parents either way you go, though the Toyota stalks do seem like even an inch or two longer may have been better overall.