Two problems related to front seat belt buckle assembly have been reported for the 1996 Lexus ES300. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Lexus Es300 left road and flipped one time. Driver's door came open and buckled seatbelt did not hold driver in car. Driver's head ended up under the driver's side roof door jammed and killed instantly.
Consumer was pulling on the strap to restrain the buckle broke off strap. Dealer didn't seem to be concerned about the safety. Consumer felt that if in a crash it would be very unsafe.