How Do You Fix A Stuck Seatbelt? Methods That Are Very Simple

How important is driving safety to you? Do you take your car's safety features for granted, such as the seat belt, the supplementary restraint system (SRS), and so on? If you disregard any of these components, you may jeopardise the safety of yourself and your passengers.

In the long term, driving with a jammed seat belt can be dangerous to you or any of your passengers, especially in the event of an unforeseen collision. Not only this, but your car will also fail its MOT test, so it is recommended to have this resolved before you a check MOT test is completed.

Have you just discovered that your car's seat belt is stuck and won't release as it should? You don't need to be concerned if this is the case. The solution to how to fix a jammed seatbelt has been offered for you here.

How to Release a Stuck Seatbelt

Because your car's seat belts are critical components for your and your passengers' safety, it's critical to pay attention to any minor flaws and have them repaired as soon as possible. Perform a MOT history check to verify there isn't a trend of failed MOT tests involving the seatbelt.

What does it take to untangle a tangled seat belt? If any of your car's seat belts become caught, follow these simple procedures to repair them:

Pull and release the seat belt from auto-lock - To remove the seat belt from auto-lock, first pull it and then release it. It's possible that you'll need to figure out how to unlock the seat belt auto-lock. If the seat belt is still fastened, unlatch it from the cartridge and slowly move it away from the seat to release the length. After that, you may let it go and let it gradually return to its original form behind the vehicle seat. It's possible that the belt is twisted, knotted, or jammed inside the retractor mechanism if it doesn't retract as expected. As a stuck seatbelt is an MOT failure, it may be wise to look back at the MOT history and if the same seatbelt is failing every year, it is suggested that you have the whole seatbelt mechanism replaced.

Remove the plastic covers from the seatbelt mechanism - Use needle-nose pliers or a screwdriver to remove the plastic covers from the seatbelt mechanism. The seat belt hardware and loop will be exposed as a result of this surgery.

Pull the seat belt all the way out - After removing the plastic covers from the seat belt mechanism, pull the seat belt all the way out. This full withdrawal will expose any tangles, twists in the seat belt, dirt, or stuck items in the bottom section of the seat belt mechanism.

Straighten or untangle the seat belt - If the seat belt has folded and become trapped, straighten or untangle it. If you notice dirt or items jammed in the bottom of the mechanism, please clean it up or use needle-nose pliers to remove the jammed objects.

Allow the seat belt to roll back in place - After executing all of the essential procedures in the process of repairing the stuck seat belt, allow the seat belt to roll back in place. After that, try the seat belt to make sure it's correctly releasing and locking back in place. If you're pleased, replace the plastic covers and adjust the back seat to its proper position.

If you are unable to follow the above steps for any reason, then it is best to leave it to the professionals and book your car in with a car mechanic to resolve. Do go over your paperwork to check MOT history and expiry date of the current one and have this issue fixed before your next MOT test to avoid failure.

Frequently Asked Question (FAQ’s)

Is it possible for a car to fail its MOT because of its seat belt?

Your seatbelt is one of the more improbable yet important parts of your car. If your seatbelt is ripped, torn, or unable to click into the holder, it will fail the MOT test.

What is the purpose of a seat belt locking mechanism?

The seat belt locking mechanism is meant to keep the driver and passengers safe in a car by sensing a collision and tightening the seat belt, reducing unwanted movement during an accident. Aside from understanding how this works, it's also important to know how to unlock a seat belt after an accident.

The system comprises of a retractor mechanism linked to the webbing and a spool attached to one end of the webbing. In this setup, the spool is the most important component. The retractor has a spring inside it that applies torque to allow the spool to revolve freely. It guarantees that any leftover webbing is rapidly wound up.

In addition, the spool has a locking mechanism that prevents it from spinning. This function is generally triggered by the vehicle's movement. It guarantees that the vehicle is locked when decelerating quickly, which is especially important in the event of an accident. A jerking action on the car's seat belt webbing can potentially activate the retractor.

Meanwhile, in some modern systems, a pre-tensioner tightens the seat belt webbing while functioning with the traditional locking mechanism—the pre-tensioner tightens any slack in the seat belt after a crash.