Seat belt tensioner

Hatmouse

Hatmouse

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2005
Messages
4,791
Location
Bay area, California
Car(s)
'03 Civic Si
Front seatbelts in my car feel a bit sloppy ie. when you unbuckle them, they don't promptly go back to the fully retracted position.

I'm guessing it's the seat belt tensioners at fault here. Any idea how much it costs to get them fixed?
 
I bet the problem is the spring that retracts the belt is getting tired and the lubrication may also be gone. I just pick up my belt until it retracts. When I redo the car next year I will fix that or get new.
 
That's what I do in my car right now (help it retract, at some point the auto retract starts working but weakly), but what I don't want is for the seat belts to fail if I get in a collision.
 
I don't think it will fail. The belts are clamped on, the spring just helps it retract.
 
Over time dust accumulates on the belt and gets in the roll.
It might help if you pull out the whole belt and clean it.
I'm not sure though what to use exactly and I wont recommend anything, because there could be potential damage.
 
[16:46] <Blayde> some wd40 usually helps
[16:47] <Ice> Blayde: Righto.
[16:47] <Blayde> also, your rear ones are probably like new
[16:47] <Blayde> swap out if possible
 
I'm having the same problem with my Punto, those damn things just won't go back without assistance...I cleaned them, lubricated them, but it's hardly done anything. It's most likely that the spring is just worn out and refuses to do it's job. Since a new set of belts cost a whole heap of cash, I'm not bothering anymore. I just let the belt be, it's actually more convenient like that. I simply sit down and buckle up, never having to scooch around looking for it on the pillar. It does its job of holding me just fine, I had a couple of chances to test them in the last few weeks...
 
Don't use WD40 on your seatbelt mechanism. It is not a very good lubricant, and much more of a solvent that will wash away the remaining lube. If your going to do the repair yourself find out what the manufacturer recomends.
 
I'm curious, would a silicon-based lubricant be any better?
 
Just ducking in - most makers have lifetime warranties on the seatbelt mechanisms. If they start getting sloppy and loose/slow to retract, just call the local dealer or corporate and ask about it. Both Jaguar and Nissan do for sure as I've had belts replaced by both companies for free.
 
I doubt that FIAT will replace it for me, being a second owner and the car in it's 10th year of operation.

I'll just probably go to a scrappy and take out what I need one day, there's a couple of things that need doing.. Fatmouse, you should just do the same...
 
My seatbelt somehow got twisted in the bracket thingy by the seat. Once untwisted (which is a pain the arse to do), it retracted just fine again. Just a thought ^_^
 
SchumacherM said:
I doubt that FIAT will replace it for me, being a second owner and the car in it's 10th year of operation.

I'll just probably go to a scrappy and take out what I need one day, there's a couple of things that need doing.. Fatmouse, you should just do the same...
Click to expand...

Perhaps you should not buy a Fiat then, because both of the cars I mentioned above were twenty-plus years old and I was at least the second (if not third, fourth, fifth, etc., etc) owner. Terrible customer service, that. :p Should we just start calling them Fail-At now?:p
 
Tony won't fix it again?

:drums:
 
Youse paids yer moneys, now Tony no want to see youse cars no mores. :p
 

MM for the win!
 
Before anyone else chimes in with rather funny remarks, my point was that our local FIAT dealers don't acknowledge a justified change, simply because they're lazy as fucks. If I went over the border to Italy, I'd get a replacement no problem. The problem is, that I'm just not bothered. =)

As for not buying a FIAT...no offense, but most people from the other side of the ocean can hardly judge on a company that's not present there, can they? :) I'm very happy with the car, that's all that matters. ;)

Sorry for the thread hijack.
 
The only problems with that hypothesis are:

1. FIAT used to be here and now they are not, for good reasons. We are also about to receive their product again.
2. I have been to Europe; I have not only seen but driven far more recent FIATs while I was there and been distinctly underwhelmed.

So I am commenting on a car company whose products used to be here and whose products I have sought out in markets where they are still available.
 
Yes, you are an exception...and I do have to wonder what you have driven and when, because Fiat has been making some of the best affordable cars lately. Sure, my bog standard Mk2 Punto isn't exactly a mini Ferrari, but others are quite fun to drive and always cheap to run. And don't chime in with Spaghetti Macaroni or crap like that, since suprisingly in most cases the parts that go wrong have a Made in Germany or similar tag on them.
 
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