A seat belt is the first line of defense in keeping you safe in the event of an accident. Make sure to always have your seatbelt and all parts of the SRS system working properly. If for some reason, your seat belt is not working, you may want to take a moment to look at it. Before you get started, make sure to have a seat belt cutter on hand for a quick escape from danger just in case. Here is how to fix a seat belt retractor or a jammed seat belt.
A seat belt can get jammed as a result of many things. However, here are two more common reasons: (1) dirt and grime are on the seat belts webbing causing the belt to retract slower than normal, and (2) the retractor is locked.
For the first scenario, the solution would be to clean the dirt and grime off of the webbing. To do this you first need to retract your seat belt until there is no more slack. After that, take a vise grip or some kind of clamp and place it near the retractor (where it feeds out of the webbing). This helps keep the seat belt from retracting back into the mechanism as you are cleaning. Next, spray on a cleaner. A carpet or fabric cleaner is usually most effective here but you can also use hot water and laundry detergent. Brush in the cleaner until there is no more dirt or grime left on the webbing. If the dirt is being tough to clean with just the cleaner, try soaking the webbing in a bucket of soapy water and try again. Once you are done, make sure you give it plenty of time to dry before retracting the seat belt back into the mechanism.
Here is how to fix the seat belt retractor when it is locked. First, pull the webbing out of the seat belt completely and then give it a yank to undo the locked belt. If this does not work for you, take the retractor out of the vehicle. Then, using a screwdriver you can manually spin the spool. This will cause the seat belt to slowly retract back into the mechanism. If all else fails, you will need a professional seat belt repair service to help you, like Safety Restore.
