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Here’s What That Little Button on Your Seat Belt Is For

There are a lot of eye-catching and weird car features in your vehicle, no matter the make and model. So we’ll forgive you for overlooking a tiny, less-flashy detail: the plastic button on your seat belt. Yes, it’s there for a reason. And if you’re like me (curious about everything!), you’re probably wondering, What is the little button on the seat belt for?

To find out the purpose of that mysterious plastic button, I spoke with Thomas Barth, a safety expert, contract engineer and former survival factors investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, who has 20 years of occupant safety experience in the private automotive and aircraft industries. Turns out, that small detail is a big win for convenience. Read on to learn what the little button on the seat belt is for and what to do if it comes off.

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What is the little button on the seat belt for?

Barth says the little button is a device to keep the seat belt latch in the optimal region of the belt and accessible to the occupant. Picture yourself reaching for your seat belt before heading off to work or the grocery store. Wouldn’t it be a pain to pick up the latch from the floor area every single time?

Car manufacturers sure thought so. That’s why they fasten the handy piece of plastic—known as a stop button, seat belt stopper, seat belt stop button, retainer button or retention button—onto each belt. It ensures the latch plate doesn’t slide down the webbing, so it’s in an easy-to-reach place, ready for you to grab it and buckle up.

The button also ensures your seat belt is properly aligned. If the latch plate were free to wander on the webbing, your seat belt might not be positioned correctly, which could potentially put you at risk in the event of a car accident.

Where can you find the stop button?

The button appears just below the latch plate, the bit of metal that plugs into the buckle. On some seat belts, you may also find an additional stop button above the latch plate to prevent it from moving up the webbing.

Is there a stop button on every seat belt?

If you see a stop button on your seat belt, you’ll likely find one (or a pair of them) on each of the seat belts in that car. Yes, even on the driver’s belt—unlike the seat belt loop, which manufacturers omit on the driver’s side for safety reasons.

But while seat belt stop buttons are very common, they’re not a given. Some car models skip them entirely, though their inclusion isn’t determined by the type of automobile, Barth says. “It would depend on the seat/restraint design,” he explains. “You could have a make of automobile with different restraint designs within its car models.”

What happens if your seat belt stop button comes off?

Now that you know what the little button on the seat belt is for, what do you do if it falls off? Don’t worry; you can purchase a replacement online or from an auto store and install the new button on the seat belt yourself.

Barth says the belt may be a bit more difficult to use without the stop button (you’ll have to reach around to find your plate latch every time you get in the car), but he’s not aware of any critical performance issues related to a missing stop button. The bigger problem would be if the belt itself is degraded in any way that might compromise its ability to protect you properly. Then, he says, there could be more serious issues. In that case, you should contact the car manufacturer or an auto shop to determine whether a full seat belt replacement is necessary.

Once your stop button is fixed and your seat belt is in working order, you’re ready to get back on the road. After you buckle up, of course.

About the expert

  • Thomas Barth is an independent safety expert and contract engineer with 20 years of occupant safety experience in the private automotive and aircraft industries. Now retired from the National Transportation Safety Board, he spent 14 years as the organization’s survival factors investigator and chief of special investigations. Barth was involved in the development of passenger airbags in aircraft and the introduction of seat belts in motor coaches and school buses, and he conducted several investigations into commuter train collisions.

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At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Source:

  • Thomas Barth, safety expert, contract engineer and the former survival factors investigator and chief of special investigations at the National Transportation Safety Board; interviewed, October 2025

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