set belt buckle discontinued - 2003 Vibe

[cegarbage]

Hi,
I need to get a new drivers seat belt buckle. This is the second one that's worn out on me. The part # is 88972267. Does anyone know if any of the other buckles would work? (Mechanic side drivers side has different part #). Also, does anyone know if there is a corresponding Matrix part number?
This is a 2003 Pontiac Vibe GT

[BenWA]

You can probably get one cheap from a junk yard in good condition.

[cegarbage]

Yes, i've seen a couple, but it's a last resort for me.

[BenWA]

Why? You're driving a 13 year old car.

[lannvouivre]

And, hey, at least it's not 30 years old!

[BenWA]

And, hey, at least it's not 30 years old!

The vehicle I sold that paid for my Vibe is 37 years old. It didn't even COME WITH 3-point seat belts when new. It had lap belts only. I added 3 point ones from salvage yard vans to the front two seats.

[ColonelPanic]

cegarbage, were you ever able to source a new buckle?

I may be in need of one myself for our 2003. Used is not an option I am particularly interested in for safety equipment if I can avoid it. I have a problem with not knowing what the stresses the components have endured previously (and whether they could withstand another round...)

Best I can tell is that the buckle changed part numbers starting in 2005, coinciding the Vibe's mid-cyle refresh that had a number of changes with the various restraint systems. The 2003-2004's are not showing available on the GM parts sites whereas the 2005-2008 do have it available (allegedly.) Not sure what changed over the years or whether they're compatible.

I checked a Toyota dealer's online parts catalog and they do show a part available for the 2003 Matrix XR. Starting in 2005, same as the Vibe, the Matrix's part number for the buckle changed and kept the new part number until the model end in 2008.

The buckle itself still works perfectly but for some reason the buckle assembly is flopping around loosely in all directions now (it still is bolted in and doesn't feel like it is going to come off.) I'm going to try to take the seat out and inspect as soon as I can, maybe remove/reinstall the buckle. Until then, the car will have to remain parked.

[sideshowalan]

Here are the 2003 Toyota Matrix part #'s
7323001030B0 right
7324001030B0 left

To clarify, this is for the buckle, the lower piece that stays bolted to the car, not the part that retracts into the pillar.
I wonder why the 2005+ models have different part #'s, they can't be that different.

[riechman76]

Would a front driver side and passenger side seat belt buckles from a 03 Toyota Matrix work on a 03 Pontiac Vibe ???

Cant find vibe ones anywhere locally.

[riechman76]

I bought a matrix one for my '03 vibe driver side buckle. it fits and works but the electrical tip was wired different - airbag/seat belt light stays on.

[ColonelPanic]

That's frustrating that the Matrix one didn't work 100%. It looked to me like the seat belt buckle switch and seat track position sensor are integrated into that connector. Both tie into the air bag system.

Luckily my wobbly buckle was from a thin spring washer broken off that's supposed sit between the bolt and buckle. It must have fallen off and I vacuumed it up without noticing. I ordered a new bolt for the driver's seat from GM which came with the washer. Pulled the seat, replaced the bolt and all is well now. Still would like to find a source of a proper spare just in case the buckle itself ever fails, but I assume this probably isn't possible. So I am treating the buckle gently since if it ever does break there's no replacing it.

[FacilityMaintenance]

I bought a matrix one for my '03 vibe driver side buckle. it fits and works but the electrical tip was wired different - airbag/seat belt light stays on.

I registered here just to correct this misinformation, as I've seen it parroted in other threads like the one below. How infuriating
I saw an older thread about the safety light plug for the matrix part not fitting correctly so I would rather avoid that one.

What convinced me riechman76 was wrong was the utter infeasability of producing a different wire harness for a vehicle that is likewise identical in so many other ways. I'm an electrician and facility maintenance tech so I have a lot of experience with searching parts numbers, swapping parts and using alternate parts from different manufactueres that have different numbers but are really the same part. I put odds at 100/1 that it was the same part. It is.

Here is my experience

I bought an 03 vibe GT and it had a few problems. Parking brake would barely graze the drum at 11 clicks, seatbelt only latched 10% of the time, and headlight bulb was out.
Headlight bulb was an easy fix.

Next I removed the center console, 2 10mm bolts at the front and 2 more inside the bucket at the back. Then adjusted the two 10mm nuts with two 10mm wrenches at the parking brake handle itself, which just took some slack out of the cable. It now grabs firm after 6 clicks.

While I had the center console out for the parking brake I got to looking at the seatbelt buckle. I believe this is easier to do by removing the center console than removing the seat, but I don't know as I haven't removed the seat, but it seems heavy and more work.

I searched the web and read all kinds of threads here at genvibe about the buckle, people saying get one from junkyard etc. Junkyards wanted $25 or $35 for one and you'd have to remove it yourself.
Next I went to a GM dealer near me's website and they had no buckle for 03 vibe. Out of Stock.
Next I went to 2 Toyota dealership near me's websites and searched for seatbelt buckle for an 03 Matrix XRS. It came back as part number
73240-01030-B0
$37.07, but for some reason the dealership slightly closer to me had a $9.65 "Dealership discount" for a grand total of $29.81.
I ordered the part and had it shipped to the dealership so I didn't have to pay any shipping. It arrived the next day.

The night before the part came I looked under the drivers seat and saw the 2 connectors for the buckles sub-harness. They are hard to reach mounted to the bottom of the seat, but the push pins that snap them to the seat pull right out with needle nose pliers. Don't try and open the connector, just pull the connector off the seat. The new buckle has new push pin connectors anyway.
After geting the cable free from the bottom of the seat, it was easy to unplug the two connectors. No more seatbelt light with seatbelt disconnected, and airbag light was on.
Part came in next day, picked it up at lunch and I went to swap after work.
First I tied a 2-3' piece of garden wire to the buckles longest/smallest connector, to use for pulling the new buckles cable back in.
The buckle is held on with a 14mm bolt, box end wrench is all you need for this.
Next I removed a recessed phillips screw just forward and up from the bolt, this allowed the plastic piece on the side of the seat to be pulled away to easily access the tightest spot the cable/connectors have to snake through.
I gently pulled the old buckle up through it's slot from the top while feeding the connectors/gardenwire from the bottom and it came out fairly easily.

One part that had me worried for 10 seconds, and this was the biggest puzzle of the whole job, is the biggest connector goes over a bar on the bottom of the seat when it's connected, and can't fit between that bar and the seat where it sits, but after you disconnect it you can slide it along the bar towards the center of the car and there's a gap that it easily fits through at the end.

After getting the old buckle out I just tied the smallest/longest connecter of the new buckle to the garden wire and reversed the process, gently pulled the garden wire from the bottom while feeding the connectors in though the buckle slot from the top. They went right in.
I put the 14mm bolt back in holding the buckle to the seat, as well as the recessed phillips screw that holds the side cover to the seat.
I reached under the seat and put the big connector through the gap I found while removing the old one, slid it along the bar, connected it and pushed the new push pin into the hole. Same for the smallest connector. Looks factory.
Started it up and test drove it. No airbag light. Seatbelt light comes on and off when you take seatbelt on and off. Clicks in every time!

I love it when a plan comes together.

There's no way it's worth getting a used one from a junkyard for $25 when you have to remove it. Even if it''s already removed, $25 for used vs. $30 for new? I'll gladly pay $5 more, even $15 more, to get a new one so this problem is less likely to occur again. Especially for something as important as a seat belt.

[tpollauf]

Welcome to GenVibe. Awesome write up and thanks for taking the time to thoroughly explain your dilemma. As the owner of THREE Vibes, all very dependable and have required very little maintenance if any, I appreciate it when a member here takes that much time to inform others of an issue. Even if it only happens to 1% of us here, at least there is now an additional post describing the problem AND how to fix it! Continue to post where applicable and visit often!