How to turn off seat belt warning

[cornwall99]

Hi, I'm newish to a RAV4, having purchased a 2012 model earlier this year. I have a dog that rides (secured) on the back seat. At times, he stands up, turns around and sits down, or just stands for a while. With no warning (pardon the pun), the piercing seat belt alarm goes off. Not only can I not disable it, or override it, it goes on for a long time. Today it kicked in while I was driving on a busy freeway in Melbourne, not something I do very often.  

I have done some googling and it seems to be that it is a 'feature' of the car.  Granted it would be useful with children in the car, or any human in the backseat, but HOW DO I DISABLE IT?  

There are a few things about the car that don't suit me as much as I would have liked, so this might be the tipping point for me trading in for something else. Anyone have any wisdom or ideas. Telling me not to put the dog in the car is not an idea I'm looking for 😉

I have clipped in a seat belt and secured the dog's harness to this, but short of clipping in all 3 seatbelts, I'm not sure what else to do. Clipping in all 3 is not safe, as the dog could get twisted in them potentially.

Kim

[ianskluger]

Hi Kim, if it was me, I would take the car to an auto electrician, they should be able to isolate the circuit and perhaps install a switch to turn off the back seat alarm when it isn't required. That would certainly be cheaper than changing cars. I suspect because it is a safety feature there is no way of disabling just the back seat in isolation. You could also discuss with a toyota dealer to see if they have any suggestions.

[cornwall99]

Thanks for that suggestion.  Yes, from what I’ve read it can cause issues with insurance etc., and may have a knock-on effect with airbags etc, so I sun need to ring Toyota I think. 

Kim

Edited October 26, 2021 by cornwall99
Typo

[Rooty]

Probably OBE by now, but simply go to a junkyard and get some seatbelts (cut off the straps) and then just clip the metal ends into the seatbelts in your car.  No mods needed and can be removed at ease if you want them to use for people.

[cornwall99]

That’s a good idea. I bought one that attaches to the dog leash for one spot, and what I’ve done is connect the other two seat belts under the seat cover I use. If I forget to clip them though, OMG!

[campbeam]

2 hours ago, Rooty said:

Probably OBE by now, but simply go to a junkyard and get some seatbelts (cut off the straps) and then just clip the metal ends into the seatbelts in your car.  No mods needed and can be removed at ease if you want them to use for people.

An alternative would be a seat belt extender such as this design.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/294388203462?hash=item448ae77fc6:g:bAwAAOSw-qxhOtnz

This eBay listing for " 2x Universal Safety Seat Belt Clip Buckle Locking Alarm Stopper Strap Clamp" does contain photos. 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/284228056534?hash=item422d4ff5d6:g:lvoAAOSwt5tgXT~p

 

[cornwall99]

That’s perfect and very similar to what I bought for the dog.