Problems · by component
1997 Toyota Corolla seat belts problems
38 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 1997 Toyota Corolla cite seat belts, 28% of all 138 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
38
28% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
Reported by owners
What owners say about the seat belts
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“MY DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT WILL NOT COME OUT. I HAVE ACTUALLY HAD THIS PROBLEM BEFORE AND GOT IT FIXED ABOUT A YEAR OR TWO AGO. I PAID OVER 300.00 FOR A MECHANIC SHOP TO COMPLETELY REPLACE MY SEAT BELT. NOW IT IS HAPPENING AGAIN TO THE REPLACEMENT SEAT BELT. I REALLY DON'T THINK IT SHOULD BE MY RESPONSIBILITY TO GET THIS SEAT BELT THING FIXED EVERY TWO YEARS BECAUSE OF FAULTY/DEFECTIVE ENGINEERING.”
“TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT RELEASE. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TRIED TO UNLATCH THE SEAT BELT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED BUT IT STILL WOULD NOT RELEASE. SHE HAD TO USE A SCREWDRIVER TO OPEN THE SEAT BELT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT THE RELEASE BUTTON BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AND THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 60,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 99,000.”
“FRONT SEAT BELTS LOCK AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO PULL OUT THE SEAT BELT IT FINALLY LOCKS. HAD SEAT BELT REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES AND KEEPS REPEATING. I FEEL THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL AFTER READING THE NUMEROUS LOGS ABOUT THIS VERY PROBLEM. *JB”
“SAFETY BELTS IN TOYOTA COROLLA LOCK SO WE ARE UNABLE TO USE THEM. TOYOTA SAYS SINCE THE CAR IS A 97 AND OUT OF WARRANTY IT IS NOT TOYOTA'S RESPONSIBILITY. WRONG IT IS A DEFECT THAT WE REPLACED ALREADY ONCE. *NM”
“MY SEAT BELTS IN MY TOYOTA COROLLA HAS AN DEFECT, DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT IS HUNG AND I CANT GET IT ON I HAVE TO PULL HARD JUST TO GET IT ON, AND IT GET HUNG AGAIN, PASSENGER BELT IN THE REAR IS ALL THE WAY OUT AND WANT RETRACT, I HAVE 3 KIDS UNDER THE AGE 6 AND ITS A BIG CONCERN FOR ME. *JB”
“THE DRIVER SEAT BELTS DID NOT RETRACT AFTER BEING RELEASED. *JB WHEN THE BELT DID WORK, IT WOULD LOCK TIGHT AND WOULD NOT ALLOW ONE TO LEAN FORWARD WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED. *SC *JB”
Showing 6 of 38 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.