Anyone know how to disable the seatbelt alarm on 2005 Outback?

Ear plugs are quick and inexpensive, but I just belt up whenever I move the car. You never know what's lurking out there.

Yesterday morning a druggie lost control of his rented Caddy while going at least 60 mph in the 35 zone beside where I work. He drifted across the street and tore through our parking lot after crashing through two icy snowbanks and ran head on into a friend's car. Her new Camry was demolished and knocked across the street, while my ancient Volvo was barely sideswiped and pushed aside a couple feet. That driver is in jail (non-prescription pills of some sort were in the car), but his compadres are out there still.

I know the likelihood of loonies is low on your drive, but the habit is easy to develop. Two of my brothers owe their lives or at least their health to being belted in during rollovers, so the habit comes very easily to me. (End of sermon.)

Mike

Uh,I've been driving since '58 and haven't rolled a vehicle yet. Not my XKE nor my Jeep nor any other vehicle I had owned. What the hey were your brothers doing?

Al

I have not yet bothered to look deeper at it but I think it should not be much harder than cutting off an electrical wire with a electronician side cutter.

For me the main reason to tweak (or suppress) that weight detection would be that the sounding of the alarm keeps me from using the front seat to carry anything heavier that a stack of paper.

-- Legacy Executive '04, H6 3.0R, 5 Speed Auto, Trip Computer and Kenwood DVD Navigation, bought in Geneva.

There is a procedure to eliminate the chime- Turn the key to the accessory position. Then, buckle and unbuckle the seatbelt 20 times within 30 seconds. This will disable the chime. It's a bit tricky, you might have to try it a couple of times to get it to work. I'm pretty sure that if the battery is disconnected for any reason after doing this, the chime will come back and you will have to repeat the procedure.

I used this procedure on my 06 Tribeca and it works. I had to do it several times before I finally got it to work though. It finally did the job, but only if I did it with the engine turned on.

What I did was Buckle the seat belt, start the car and then unbuckle. When the chime stops, start the 20 buckle, unbuckle steps. It really works.

Don Dunlap

I have had success with the 20 click method, but only with the engine running. It required a reset after a battery disconnect. Sounds bizarre I know but it works and eliminates a sreious irritation.

That .1 mile down a driveway doesnt sound real hazardous.

Driving our mother's Renault 10, with unrestrained swing axles like the really old VWs had. It was written off by insurance after the first time it landed on its roof, but my mother bought it as salvage and had the thing fixed up... kinda. When my other brother was run off a highway it landed on its side.

Mike

Sounds a bit like voodoo, but it worked 1st time on my wife's '06 Impreza. I wouldn't advise indiscriminantly snipping/disconnecting seat wires on a car equipped with passive restraints (airbags, active headrests, etc).

Dan

Thanks, everyone. I will have to try the 20 clicks method, if only because it sounds like an urban myth, and it just might be CONFIRMED.

worked on my '03 Outback and my '06 WRX. Doesn't disable the initial chiming, just the continuous chiming. I did not have to start the car. Just turn to 'on'. YMMV

Carl