interested
New member
We have a 2004 Dodge Neon SXT that we bought in 2007. Its been a fairly good car, until today. My husband was putting in my son's carseat (we've taken it out and put it back in many times) and he went to clip in the seatbelt and pull on it to make it tighter and all of a sudden the belt buckle (the female part of the seat belt that you put the male part into) just detached from the fabric!!! Not tore or anything, just like it completely came undone and slipped through. I was terrified! Then I pulled gently on the buckle part behind the drivers seat and it did the same thing!! We were not pulling very hard or anything at all, just the normal amount to tighten the seatbelt. I'm scared to death to put my kids back there. So I called the dealership where we bought the car and the parts guy said it did the same thing on his 2004 as well! And there hasn't been any recalls on this. He acted like it was no big deal and to just replace the buckles-which is going to cost $300+plus labor. I think that is something that should be replaced for free. So I called the NHTSA and filed a complaint with them and sent an email to the manufacturer. Everyone I talk to is acting like its no big deal!! Thank God we pulled on it a little bit and not just buckled it in, could you imagine what would happen in an accident if a 5'4 pg woman could pull it out??? Has this happened to anyone else? Am I just overreacting or does this seem like a general concern to anyone else?? I've never heard of replacing seatbelts, they're not tires.
thank you for your responses, I'm just a very scared mother, and I don't like the idea of putting my kids in danger knowingly.
thank you for your responses, I'm just a very scared mother, and I don't like the idea of putting my kids in danger knowingly.