Replacing Front Seat Belt Buckles

[Seanz0rz]

For the last couple of years, front seat passengers have found it hard to get the seat belt buckled. It would often click and then pull right back out. This was a pretty serious safety issue, so I purchased new buckles for both front seats.

Here is a link to a video of what the seat belt would do: https://flic.kr/p/r8o3Ft

This is for a 98 4Runner with sport seats. It may be slightly different for other years/electric seats.

Replacing them requires:
73230-16410-E0 BELT ASSY, FR SEAT 1 21.85 (Passenger Side)
73230-35580-E0 BELT ASSY, FR SEAT 1 32.90 (Driver Side w/ seat belt sensor)

14mm Socket
Extension
Ratchet
#2 Phillips
Pliers

For safety equipment, the price was not bad.

Slide the seat all the way forward, remove plastic caps and 2 bolts with the 14mm socket. Slide the seat all the way back. Disconnect any wiring harnesses and remove plastic caps and 2 bolts.

Side, remove 2 Phillips screws and slide cover toward front of seat to remove.


To remove the buckle, remove the 14mm nut qnd lift the buckle off the boss. Note how the sensor wire runs thru the frame. Install the new buckle and torque to 44Nm.


Run the new wire thru the seat base.


Clip the new connector into the hole.


Reinstall the seat. Torque to 37Nm.

Test out the seat belts. Mine operated much more smoothly.

A note on trying to fix the old ones: I could not remove the plastic housing without completely destroying it. Save a life and just spend the 25 dollars on a new one.

[YotaFun]

I need to do this to the stepdads 4Runner and mine!
Every now and then they will just randomly eject the passenger seat belt and its like "WTF?"
wonder what the cause it cause stepdads has done it since I can remember and mine has only started within the last year.

[Seanz0rz]

My guess is debris. Sand, dirt, sun flower seed shell. I'm sure a lot if stuff falls in there.

It was super easy to do!