Aftermarket seatbelts

[BW1426]

Are aftermarket seatbelts crash tested?

I'm curious, when replacing seatbelts is necessary to be adamant that they are OEM parts or is it safe to use an aftermarket belt?

[southpawboston]

it depends.

for a late-model car with airbags and seat belt pre-tensioners, it's pretty important to replace them with OEM equipment since the mechanical anchors are designed to work with sensors and other electronics. for older cars, it's still a good idea to stay with OEM, unless we're talking about an antique car or rear belts.

aftermarket belts are not crash tested, but they are manufactured to DOT standards, which specify exactly how much force they can hold, how much they can stretch, etc. just make sure they say "DOT approved".

also, not everything is crash-tested... even parts of carseats. it is common for auto manufacturers and carseat manufacturers to switch suppliers for certain parts mid-way through a production run, and switching from one part to another does not usually result in a re-test of the product getting the new part. as long as parts are made according to the manufacturer's specifications, re-testing is rarely performed.

[BW1426]

Thanks, SPB!