Most Minivan Seat Belt Reminders Aren’t Great, But The Toyota Sienna Stands Out

Most minivans need better seat belt reminders.

In a recent evaluation of four 2023 minivans, the Toyota Sienna was the only one that stood out. It was cited for its strong seat belt reminders, and the only model tested to be equipped with a back row system.

Only the Toyota Sienna earned a good rating in the evaluation. In addition to meeting the institute’s requirements for front seating positions, the Sienna stood out as the only minivan with reminders for the second row and comparable third row reminders.

Three other minivans tested, the Kia Carnival, Chrysler Pacifica and Honda Odyssey, all were in need of improvement.

Those are the results of new ratings announced earlier this month by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit financed by the insurance industry.

“Effective seat belt reminders are especially important for minivans, since the owners of these vehicles often buy them specifically because they have young children,” David Kidd, the Insurance Institute’s senior research scientist, said in a statement, referring to seat belt reminders that cover the second row, where young children typically are seated.

In 2020, more than a third of 4–12-year-old children killed in crashes were unrestrained.

“While some of its competitors are falling short, Toyota deserves credit for going above and beyond,” added Kidd, who led the development of the program.

Federal regulations require that seat belt reminders include an audible signal that lasts for 4-8 seconds and a visual alert that lasts at least 60 seconds when the driver’s seat belt is unbuckled at ignition, but the Insurance Institute researchers said these requirements aren’t strong enough in the front seat and don’t cover the back seat.

As a result, the institute began a belt reminder rating program last year with the goal to improve these systems. Previous research has shown that more noticeable and persistent alerts could increase belt use among those who do not routinely buckle up by as much as 34 %, preventing about 1,500 fatalities a year, the safety group said.

A decade ago, few vehicles had seat belt reminders, researchers said. About half of the 82 vehicles that the institute has already evaluated for belt reminders since its program began have them in the second row, but only 25 meet its criteria.

The Insurance Institute’s top rating in the assessments is good, followed by acceptable, marginal or poor. Minivans were evaluated based on if they were equipped with a 2nd-row seat belt reminder system, and if they met the institute’s criteria for front seat reminders.

Only the Toyota Sienna earned a good rating in the evaluation. In addition to meeting the institute’s requirements for front seating positions, the Sienna stood out as the only minivan with reminders for the second row and comparable third row reminders.

The Kia Carnival, Chrysler Pacifica and Honda Odyssey, earned acceptable, marginal and poor ratings, respectively.

The Carnival satisfied the institute’s requirements for the front row, but it lacked a second-row reminder.

The Pacifica’s front-row reminder failed to start within the required two seconds after the vehicle reached 25 mph, and the reminder wasn’t loud enough to be effective over the ambient noise inside the vehicle, researchers said.

The Odyssey’s front-row reminder lasted less than 8 seconds.

For more details about the ratings programs, click here.