Seat Belt Light, Yes I Searched, Need Info - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Shuichi · 10-20-2009, 01:30 AM

I have a 1999 Corolla CE and the seat belt light blinks when I have the belt buckled. I have searched and read all of the other threads regarding this topic. I know that it is possibly a faulty switch in the retractor mechanism. My question is if I do not fix it, will it effect the airbag deployment in case of an accident? Heres what I mean; If the seat belt light blinks the car may think the belt is not buckled. Will the car not deploy the bags if it thinks the belt is not buckled because it will do more damage to a person who is not buckled up. You catch my reasoning? So if the light blinks, will it affect the airbag deployment?

fishexpo101 · 10-20-2009, 11:27 AM

Short answer - the systems are interlinked, but the airbag will still deploy if the appropriate threshold is exceeded. Note that the seatbelt pretensioner will not react, so serious injury could occur. This could be as simple as a short in the wiring, I would get this fixed ASAP.

Shuichi · 10-20-2009, 03:00 PM

I have the FSM for a 1999 Prism and I did a little more research. The seat belt tensioner has a retractor in it. In case of an accident a signal is sent to the retractor to tighten the belt along with deploying the bags. But from what I have read. The seat belt indicator light doesnt effect the airbags deploying. Now does the retractor have two electrical connectors? One for the seat belt light indicator and one for the tensioner? Or is it one connector for both? Also, If I just short the seatbelt indicator switch in the tensioner to fool the system that the belt is on all the time will this cause the airbag light to indicate a fault?

jeet09 · 10-23-2009, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shuichi

I have a 1999 Corolla CE and the seat belt light blinks when I have the belt buckled. I have searched and read all of the other threads regarding this topic. I know that it is possibly a faulty switch in the retractor mechanism. My question is if I do not fix it, will it effect the airbag deployment in case of an accident? Heres what I mean; If the seat belt light blinks the car may think the belt is not buckled. Will the car not deploy the bags if it thinks the belt is not buckled because it will do more damage to a person who is not buckled up. You catch my reasoning? So if the light blinks, will it affect the airbag deployment?

jeet09 · 10-23-2009, 02:04 PM

same problem with my 1999 corolla VE, it was showing the light even the belt was on and nw its nt showing the light even the belt was nt on. Can anyone help hw can we fix it?
thanx.

BGToy · 10-23-2009, 04:01 PM

I have the same issue with my Corolla 98 LE. I wonder what an inexpensive fix could be...

Buurin · 10-27-2009, 06:15 AM

I don't think the buckle light is interlinked with the airbag system. Yes, the pretensioner will activate together with airbags, but that switch on the retractor is just that - a switch.

My DIY for THE fix

These pictures helps explain the mod

BGToy · 10-27-2009, 08:13 AM

Thank you! Your guide is fantastic.

I will totally give it a shot!

Shuichi · 10-27-2009, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buurin

I don't think the buckle light is interlinked with the airbag system. Yes, the pretensioner will activate together with airbags, but that switch on the retractor is just that - a switch.

My DIY for THE fix

These pictures helps explain the mod

In step 3 of the Switch Wire Rerouting you said that you need to unplug the retractor switch connector, the small white one. I have a few questions. Does the seat belt tensioner have two connectors on it? Meaning, is the small white connector only for the switch, and there is another separate connector for the SRS pretensioner?

Buurin · 10-28-2009, 04:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shuichi

In step 3 of the Switch Wire Rerouting you said that you need to unplug the retractor switch connector, the small white one. I have a few questions. Does the seat belt tensioner have two connectors on it? Meaning, is the small white connector only for the switch, and there is another separate connector for the SRS pretensioner?

Correct. The other one is yellow with a metal piece that swings over it, and is not easy to pull, for a reason. That one is for the pretensioner.

This is the seat belt assembly. It's not hard to tell which one is which.

Shuichi · 10-28-2009, 02:06 PM

Thanks, that clears alot up.

captaincorolla · 10-30-2009, 12:26 PM

Your DIY is great, but why replace a current part with a different part? Couldn't you just replace the current part that doesn't work? Wouldn't that be cheaper and easier? Am I wrong?

captaincorolla · 11-24-2009, 02:29 PM

Again, why wouldn't you just replace the factory part that's worn, instead of re-doing the whole thing?

Buurin · 11-24-2009, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by captaincorolla

Your DIY is great, but why replace a current part with a different part? Couldn't you just replace the current part that doesn't work? Wouldn't that be cheaper and easier? Am I wrong?

Quote:

Originally Posted by captaincorolla

Again, why wouldn't you just replace the factory part that's worn, instead of re-doing the whole thing?

My DIY is essentially a mod to move the seat belt sensing contact to the buckle, making it work just like a 2001-02 Corolla. The new part is needed because it has the contact you need for this to work.

I asked at the dealer about replacing the worn part, and their answer is to replace the whole seat belt for $150. I tried jamming something down there to hold the original contact in, but it never worked for more than a month.

BGToy · 12-21-2009, 02:21 PM

Following Buurin's great guide above, I was able to mod mu corolla to buckle-switch operation and cured the no-seatbelt problem for good. It was about 3 hours worth of work and I purchased a corolla '01 buckle for $25. Since I don't care about doing it perfectly factory-like, I didn't bother installing quick disconnects or running the cable under the floor. All I did was solder a pair of wires from the pretensioner mechanism to the buckle and hid them under the floor mat of the rear seats. Hardly noticeable and works fantastic! If you are really in hurry and don't care about securely soldered wires, then you could shave off one hour from the work by simply connecting the wires via twist-and-tape method. So, the job could be done in less than two hours with $25 worth of hardware purchase. I feel this is a much better solution than purchasing a new tensioner worth over $150 and then running the same risk of sensor breakage due to poor design.