NHTSA Complaint #11535216 — 2022 WINNEBAGO FORZA

I kept having issues with the drivers seat belt not retracting properly (since purchased new) after use creating a tremendous amount of slack in the belt the next time it was used. I actually had to drive it several times with an extremely slack belt basically just hanging on my lap. Since this is a tri-point seat belt, in the event of a crash the entire belt would fail to keep the seat occupant safely belted to the seat including the chest strap AND lap belt. On further inspection by myself, I was able to determine the cause and keep it from happening again or at least correct the issue each time prior to driving the vehicle. I have recently seen this on 2 other Winnebago Forza's. 1 with the same floor plan (38W) and the other with a different plan. I have not mentioned this safety defect to either the manufacturer or any of their dealerships for fear they would simply fix mine and not look into all the other motorhomes they have made they may have the same issue. What is happening is that the seat belt was clearly installed prior to the interior finishing. When they installed the wood veneer that surrounds the place where the belt is attached to the sidewall (not floor). They didn't trim a large enough opening in the wood causing this pivot point on the belt to stick. When the driver pulls on the belt to attempt to free it, the belt twist and becomes bound up leading to slack in the belt. It's an easy fix to trim away some of the wood freeing this pivot up to operate normally.