Automakers have until 2026 and 2027 to meet new federal seat belt warning system requirements just finalized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The new rule will require seat belt warnings for rear seats and enhanced warnings for the driver and front passenger seat. While the rear seat system requirement won't kick in until fall of 2027, a lot of automakers already have them. For example, the all-new 2025 Nissan Murano's rear seat belt reminder system looks like this:
Nissan Owner Channel, YouTube.
So, here are the deadlines:
- Manufacturers must meet the enhanced front seat belt warning system requirements on new vehicles starting Sept. 1, 2026.
- The rear seat belt warning system will be required on new vehicles as of Sept. 1, 2027. Of course, manufacturers who don't already have them can comply with the new rule before these deadlines.
NHTSA says the new rule is aimed at increasing seat belt use and estimates it will prevent more than 500 injuries and save about 50 lives annually, once it's fully implemented.
“Wearing a seat belt is one of the easiest and most effective ways to prevent injury and death in a vehicle crash,” NHTSA Chief Counsel Adam Raviv said. “While seat belt use has improved for decades, there’s still more we can do to make sure everyone buckles up. These new requirements will help to increase seat belt use, especially for rear seat passengers, by enhancing reminders for vehicle occupants to buckle up.”
2019 Ford Ranger. Credit: Ford.
The final rule amends Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, “Occupant crash protection,” which previously required a seat belt warning only for the driver’s seat. The new requirements apply to passenger cars, trucks, buses with the exception of school buses, and multipurpose passenger vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating up to 10,000 pounds.
Seat belt warning systems, also called reminder systems, use visual and audible alerts to encourage seat belt use. Federal safety regulators say usage rates for rear seat passengers have consistently been below those for the front seats, with front seat belt use at about 91.6% and rear seat belt use at about 81.7% in 2022. Approximately half of all passenger vehicle occupants who died in crashes in 2022 were unbelted, according to data from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
NHTSA says its finalized a significant number of safety initiatives aimed at reducing traffic deaths, such as a new requirement for passenger cars and light trucks to come equipped with automatic emergency braking systems, including pedestrian AEB, by 2029. The agency also recently finalized significant updates to its 5-Star Safety Ratings program, known as the New Car Assessment Program, that include new advanced driver assistance technologies, a crashworthiness pedestrian protection program, and a roadmap for future program changes over the next 10 years. The NHTSA's initiatives support the Department’s National Roadway Safety Strategy, launched in January 2022, with a long-term goal of zero deaths on U.S. roads.
Watch The 2025 Nissan Murano Seat Belt Warning Video:
All-New 2025 Nissan Murano. Credit: Nissan/YouTube.