Seatbelt requires effort to pull

[camion]

Is it normal on my '07 4Runner for the front seatbelts to require a bit of effort to pull? Compared to other vehicles you have to pull hard on them all the way till you buckle them. Also when taking them off you almost have to feed them back in. They don't retract quickly or easily.
Was wondering if that was normal or there is something I can do to fix them.

 

[ads2539]

Is it normal on my '07 4Runner for the front seatbelts to require a bit of effort to pull? Compared to other vehicles you have to pull hard on them all the way till you buckle them. Also when taking them off you almost have to feed them back in. They don't retract quickly or easily.
Was wondering if that was normal or there is something I can do to fix them.

I had a similar issue in my ’04.

You need to remove the big trim piece where the seat belt retracts into, and get everything working smoothly behind it.

There’s also a slim chance that adjusting the height of where the seatbelt comes out will help. That adjuster can also get sticky.

 

[DAW89446]

I think it’s a Toyota thing. I’ve owned three Toyotas and all three have/had the same annoying seatbelt characteristics. All belts twist when pulling them out, so that they are not flat against your body. All have to be force fed to put them back in place when exiting.

The Toyotas I’ve owned are:

* 2002 Tacoma TRD 4x4 (my son owns it now).

* 2003 Camry (long ago traded in).

* 2018 4Runner (my current vehicle and which replaced my Tacoma).

Since all three had the same behaviors, I assume it’s simply a Toyota thing.

 

[camion]

Thank you guys. Looks like a project for the future when I have time and it warms up. For now I'll just pull hard on it.