9/12/2001 Dee Golden writes...
We bought our Saturn Station Wagon in 1998 after owning a Sedan since 1992. The seat belts in the back of the sedan fit all of us. The seat belts in the wagon are too short. We complained to Saturn of Sunnyvale (California) about the wagon back seat belts being too short only to be told nothing could be done. Since we don't ordinarily all ride in the wagon it wasn't a problem, only a concern. However, the 92 is getting many miles on it and the air conditioning went out and it gets too warm to be comfortable in the car.

Figuring a seat belt extender shouldn't be that much a problem to obtain I proceeded to call Kragen Auto Parts and some stores similar to it. However most of the people answering the phone didn't think any seat belt extenders were available or never heard of them.

I called our local Saturn dealer in Colma and they never heard of seat belt extenders for the Saturn. I asked who I could call to further investigate this and was given Saturn's 800 number. I called and spoke to a man who never heard of seat belt extenders. Never heard of there being a problem with seat belts being too short and offering no further help or advice.

I then turned to Yahoo.com and typed in seat belt extenders and got your site. There was a listing for Saturn with information that Saturn of Baton Rouge had seat belt extenders.

I immediately called Saturn's 800 number again, got a different person. After going sort of the same direction of the first man I spoke to and saying there weren't any seat belt extenders, I then proceeded to give her the information I found on your website about Baton Rouge Saturn. I told her there was a petition to change the seat belt rules. I asked if I'd have to call Baton Rouge to get seat belt extenders? She asked if it were close by and I replied no.

She said they didn't have access to a parts list. I said, "You don't have access to parts that Saturn makes for their cars?????" She said she thought the seat belt extenders were an "after market" accessory that SOME dealers carried. I asked how I would be able to find out which dealers carried seat belt extenders, since two local dealers told me they didn't exist? She asked if I'd called Marin and Oakland and I replied I hadn't. She called called Saturn of Marin. I was assured that there were two sizes, 9" and 15" and that they were FREE. We will have to go pick them up, but we were given the option of paying for them to be mailed to us. Unfortunately it will take about a week for them to come in. I've been assured we'll be notified as soon as they arrive.

I've also been told a "case study" will be opened and that both Sunnyvale and San Francisco will be contacted and told that seat belt extenders do indeed exist.

I don't know Saturn's official stance on the problem, but if after your own confirmation, you wanted to add that Customer Service may not know about the seat belt extenders and to be persistent and ask the representative to research local dealers, perhaps there will be more awareness among the representatives. I doubt if all the seat belt extenders will be offered for free but it seems really strange to me that some dealerships (individually owned, I was told) are aware and supportive of the problem while Saturn itself is not.

Subaru
Subaru has changed their "no seat belt extender" policy. Seat belt extenders are now available for at least some models. Contact the parts department of your local dealership for extenders.

Click here for more information

Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru Plaza P.O. Box 6000
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-6000
Attn: Customer/Dealer Services

Customer Service: 1-800-SUBARU3 (1-800-782-2783)
Hours of Operation: 8:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (EST) Monday through Thursday
10:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (EST) Friday

http://www.subaru.com/tools/contactus/index.jsp

Suzuki
Availability of seat belt extenders unknown. Contact Suzuki directly.
Suzuki Customer Relations Department
800-934-0934
American Suzuki Motor Corporation
Automotive Division
3251 E. Imperial Highway
Brea, CA 92821-6722
Attention: Customer Relations Department

Click here for other options for longer belts. 

Added 10/7/04:
Just so you know, Toyota only makes the seatbelt extenders for their newer cars. I have had a 1997 and a 2000 Toyota pickups and they gave me seatbelt extenders at no charge. They were very courteous and great about it.

However,  I now have a 1980 Toyota pickup and my local dealership says they do not make the seatbelt extenders anymore for it. I don't like not wearing a seatbelt, but feel that I have no choice unless I can find an extender or go to the expense of changing my seatbelts to accomodate whatever seatbelt extender I can find. The worst of this is that it puts me in violation of state law, but I do not seem to have any choice. --Carole

7.23.01
Volkswagen says they are committed to safety. Mary Genera, with the Volkswagen US Customer Care Center, 1-800-822-8987, reports that Volkswagen is testing seat belt extenders and expect to release this product after September os 2001. No exact date is know at this point. Customer Service: 800-822-8987 (US & Canada)

5.17.2002
A website visitor writes:
After re-reading your site today, I was encouraged to contact VW America, again. I found out that my dealer now has seat belt extenders. Here was the trick to the dealerships that said VW didn't make extenders. In the computer, it is classified as a "safety" belt extender. I know it sounds weird...but that was why my original dealer couldn't find the part number.

Here is the current part number for the VW safety belt extender for the VW New Beetle: # 1J0857722FCN (in the sequence, that is a zero, not the letter oh).
I don't know how long the belt is, but the computer showed the cost of the belt at $0.01 each. I suspect that there will be no charge when I go to the dealer to pick them up. I ordered 4 extenders, just to be on the safe side.

If you have additional information, contact Elizabeth Fisher.