How's the seatbelt chime supposed to work in 2012s?

The manual isn't very specific. I was surprised the other day when I almost drove off without fastening my seatbelt, so I took some notes. If I don't fasten the belt it dings three times and gives up (quite softly as I've turn the gong down as much as possible). If I drive off without it, no ding. If I'm driving and I undo the seat belt*, it doesn't ding. The seatbelt light does come on when the belt is undone.

What do other 2012s do?

While some people might welcome this behaviour, its not what I was expecting and I'm wondering if I need to get it looked at.

*I found it quite difficult to test this, I almost always automatically put the belt on. It feels very weird to deliberately drive off without it. And unplugging the belt while moving is definitely unnatural.

 

It will start chiming after 5 minutes or so.

 

Jealous. I always fasten my seatbelt the second I get in the car, most of the time I reach over both shoulders for the 5 point harness that isn't there . My girlfriend, on the other hand, is horrible with seatbelts, and the incessant chime makes me want to shoot something in the face. Luckily it makes her want to put her seatbelt on, eventually.

 

Early 2nd gens are horrible about it with an ear rupturing chimp that doesn't go off for 5 minutes and comes back on after 5 minutes. Also there is no way to turn it down in the early years.

 

My Feb 2012 build MCS works about like you'd think, but not as you're describing.

I can drive off without it buckled, but very soon (time? some certain [fairly low] speed threshold is exceeded?), it will start gonging. It will give up eventually after a few minutes, then just leave the seatbelt light lit for the duration of that drive. It will start gonging if you unbuckle, just as yours does.

Not much different behavior that my 2010 Mazda 5 (although it will "give up" sooner, a couple of blocks or so, versus the 1/2 -1 mile traveled before my MINI stops gonging).

 

Strange, that's how I thought it worked, but I was driving the 07 today, and it worked much the same as the 12. It dinged 3 times and gave up, and didn't ding when I unbuckled while moving. I'm wondering if it had an update along the way sometime.

Still can't change the volume of the ding of course, and its a much harsher sound.