Hey Everyone-

My question is concerning my drivers side seatbelt. My car was previously in an accident before I received it and the seatbelt is locked in place(doesn't retract). I haven't tried to take it apart to see if I can unlock it, but thought I would see if any of you have had a similar issue. A friend of mine said that I would most likely have to buy a new one. Is this true or is there a way to open and unlock the seatbelt so that it retracts? I checked the search results for related issues and the faq section but didn't see anything similar(unless I missed it...plz let me know if I did).

Thanks in advance

 

IIRC there is a mechanism designed to break inside the seat belt assembly to hold the current position for crash safety. It's supposed to be replaced if that occurs. I would take the car to the body shop that did the repairs.

 

IIRC there is a mechanism designed to break inside the seat belt assembly to hold the current position for crash safety. It's supposed to be replaced if that occurs. I would take the car to the body shop that did the repairs.

 

It's called a pre-tensioner, and it blows during an accident to take up any slack, hold you in place, etc, during an accident, if the SRS unit decides its needed. That said, it is a non serviceable item and hands down needs replaced. It's actually something you could do yourself, with basic hand tools, if needed

 

thank you both for your replies...acuratech239, is there a DIY for this? Can I purchase the pre tensioner at a honda/acura dealership on its own (without whole seatbelt assembly)?

 

What kind of accident was the car in? The one thing that worries me is that if while repairing the car the bodyshop didn't replace the seatbelt, what else didn't they replace? It might be wise to have an acura dealership look at the car and ensure that all the other safety related systems are in place and functional.

 

I'm not sure if anyone has ever written up a DIY, you may have some luck searching on here for one, can't hurt! That said, the part itself is internal to the seat belt assembly, and therefore you will have to buy the seat belt assembly. Again, not too difficult of a repair whatsoever. But like others have said, this should have been replaced, and it makes me question what else may or may not have been replaced

 

thanks guys. Plan on taking it to a pro to get it check out tomorrow. Hopefully thats the only thing I have to worry about.