You can change it from drive and passenger on to both off or anything in the middle. Please see attached pages from the service manual (setting is on the last page). Feel free to print them and use them as ammunition when you talk to your dealership. Do not be afraid to escalate it.

 

I don't even think about it. Buckling a seat belt is a subconsious activity for me. What does the warning sound like?

 

Give it a try, unbuckle your seatbelt in your driveway and see if you can last 30 seconds (maybe they should use a Camry instead of waterboarding?)
I'll bet you can't.
I'll bet no one can!

 

Why? It's like the story of the guy who goes to the Dr. and says "hey doc, it hurts when I reach around my head to the middle of my back". The doctor says "then don't do that".

 

Put a gallon of milk and a few other items on the passenger seat and try to drive away. Disabling this "feature" has been the best thing I have done with this car.

 

I suppose if I put loose items on the front seat I could just buckle the seatbelt too but I think they make a trunk for storing groceries. Kinda keeps the items from flying around during collisions and the like.

 

Amazing how an annoying sound changes our perception of time. The slow tone sequence followed by the fast tone sequence lasts only about 20 seconds, and then shuts off. As long as the car is running and in a drive gear, it will not return. If you put the car in Park, or Reverse, the warning sensor is reset. If you were to pull into your driveway, stop, put the car in Park, leave the car, return and back out, then proceed in Drive without engaging the seatbelt, the warning alarm should come on. It is triggered by the car reaching a threshold speed, not time - you can creep at 5mph without a warning.

The worst time for me is when my briefcase is particularly stuffed, and placed on the passenger seat, triggering the warning. I turn up the radio for a few seconds until it's over. I'll have to remember to ask my dealer to turn off the passenger side.

Cheers,

 

Actually I believe there are two seat belt warnings. One that is triggered when you start the engine and have not buckeled up (which goes off after a few seconds) and one that comes on when you go over a set speed. I don't mind the warning when I get in, just if you go over a set speed. Not positive but thought I read in car book where you can get the speed linked seat belt tone turned off.

John

 

Mickie, thanks so much for that list. It was real helpful. Armed with a print-out, I was able to show it to a dealership service people who then had no choice than to make all the changes to my default I wanted, including turning off the seat belt chime... Its now so blissful... I ended up paying for a 1-hr service charge to have 5 settings changed. Sucks here in San Diego that all dealerships rip you off and won't do the little things to maintain good customer relationship. Its $96 I was glad to pay for the peace of mind having this stupid warning chime go away for ever.

 

How long will it take (in todays guilt free society) for someone to sue a car-owner for intentionally defeating a safety mechanism? I can see a passenger not fastening his seatbelt, being involved in an accident and going through the front window and claiming he wasn't warned his seatbelt was not fastened. Lawyer finds the owner INTENTIONALLY defeated the warning mechanism and sues for (fill in the amount here) millions of dollars.
Actually it probably has already happened. I'm sure.