I have a question. I had a seat belt in my Prius which was stuck (didn't pyll out hardly at all). So I took off some trim and kind of fiddled (fed the seat belt back into the appartus some) with it and was a le to get it unstuck. Now, it works as it should, and if youjer it quickly it will lock. However, when nobody is sitting in it and it is just hanging on the seat there are a few inches of slack (it is not taut as the other seat belts). However, since everyone has a waist of more than a few incheds, when one sits in the seat there of course won't be any slack. I am anle to replace the seat belt (I actually already got a new part before I realized I could un-stuck it) so it would not be too hard to replace it at this point. Any ideas of what is wise? Is having those few inches of slack a safety concern even though there is no slack when someone is actually wearing it? Thanks! Ben
1. Which seating position is the seat belt located at? 2. Was the car in an accident, and if so was that seating position occupied at the time? 3. Have you determined whether the seat belt is likely to become stuck again? If your answer to either 2 or 3 is yes, then I would replace the seat belt now. If your answer to both is no, then I don't see a problem with keeping the seat belt in service.
1. It is the back left. 2. I bought the car used and no accidents on vehicle history report, so I am not sure how it got stuck originally. I was told the card had to be cleaned quite a bit before being put up for sale, so dirtiness of the seat belt could have had something to do with it. 3. I am not sure, I suppose it depends on why it was stuck. Thank you for your help!
maybe a long time around the seat would weaken the spring? i hate to give advice regarding safety systems. especially when i can't see it myself. i'd be inclined to repair it, but i can't say that it's necessary.
So I ended up replacing the seat belt this evening. However, after I got the old seat belt out, I unwound it all the way to the end and found that at the very end (i.e., the part of the belt closest to the center of the apparatus) the belt had gotten twisted around. So, I was able to undo the twist and now I am wondering if that would have actually been all I needed to do in the first place. The new seat belt apparatus was only $50, and a mechanic had told me that I needed to get the seat belt replaced (but he just tugged on it when it was locked, didn't go inside the trim or anything), but I wonder if I really needed to replace it now. Any thoughts?
If the seat belt fully retracts after you untwisted it, then it appears that was the only required action.
