seatbelts not retracting/locked up

[fretworks]

Hi:

 

This my first post, and I appreciate all the good info about Subarus.

 

I have a 95 legacy wagon and a 96 legacy sedan. In the wagon the driver side rear seatbelt is locked up. It won't retract or pull out. In the sedan the rear passenger seatbelt won't retract all they way. I have 2 kids in car seats so this is a real problem for my family because we can't properly use the car seats.

 

I went to a local Subaru mechanic and he quoted me 300$ per/seatbelt. Anybody have any advice on how to fix this. I would like to try and do the work myself because of the $.

 

Thanks-

 

Michael

[nipper]

There is a liftime warrenty on seatbelts, though i dont know if that is the mecanisim or the web itself.

On the stuck belt the little counterwight is jamed. On the other belt it sounds like the return spring is broken. You can get units form a junkward and have your mechainc out them in for maybe 1/2 the cost or less.

 

nipper

[fishy]

That is very bizzare. The right rear belt in my 94 wagon did the same thing. I just spent a couple hours tearing most of the trim out of that side of the rear to get the damned old belt out. I then replaced it with one from a junked 94 wagon which, as it turns out, is _slighty_ better...

 

can't win with cars, eh?

 

The work isn't hard to do it's just a little annoying finding and pulling all the fasteners for the trim. I recommend having a deep socket for the big belt anchor bolt at the bottom of the unit though because the stud hangs out past the nut a fair way. I think it's a 16mm.

 

Maybe now I'll ask about that lifetime warranty on seatbelts... *sigh*

[fretworks]

Thanks for the info. I got both cars used (very used) so I am assuming the warranty applies only to the original owner?

 

Michael

[nipper]

Thanks for the info. I got both cars used (very used) so I am assuming the warranty applies only to the original owner?

 

Michael

 

not when it comes to saftey items.

 

nipper