Seat belt lock-up common?

[Kalgorn]

I've had this problem ever since I bought the car. Every once in a while, when I sit down in the car and go to buckle up, the seat belt is locked. Sometimes it'll pull out a couple inches and lock up, sometimes it will lock up and then release if I keep pulling on it. Usually it just stays locked though. After driving for a bit, it eventually releases itself and I can buckle up.

 

Is this a common problem with W-Bodies? I don't think I've ever read about it on the forum. I have no idea why it would just lock up without me even doing anything with the car.

 

Any ideas?

[pwmin]

sounds like the retractor is sticking. it will do it for seemingly no reason once in a while, but if its frequent, somethings probalby wrong. my blazer does that so i have to open the door for it to unlock, but the release is set up differently. either that or there's a twist or something

[digitaloutsider]

Every first-gen I've been in had some sort of a seat belt quirk. My GP used to randomly loosen up and you'd have to pull on it to make it taut again. Gearhead43's car does the same thing, but on the passenger side. The Cutlass will lock very easily even if you just tap the brakes. Go figure..

[GP1138]

Perhaps one of the bolts on the door mounted seatbelt retractor is loose. There's a pendulum thing that has to be in the right position (hanging loose) to not hold the belt in place. I got well acquainted to this when I was cleaning the broken glass out of my old GP's door.

[Kalgorn]

It's not very frequently so it doesn't really worry me or bother me too much. I'd rather not have to dig around in my door again... I already did that once when I replaced the window motor. That was NOT a fun ordeal.

[1990lumina]

My rear right belt in the back seat is fucked...it seems to be locked in the fully pulled out position. Last time I removed the back seat and the damn thing immediately went back up :x...fuck, oh well I have no passengers in more so I really don't care.

 

Don't our cars have some type of "Active belt" thing...maybe that is messed up in yuor car dude?!

[Grand Moff Joseph]

Don't our cars have some type of "Active belt" thing...maybe that is messed up in yuor car dude?!

 

To answer this question, I will quote from the official GM technician manual for my 1990 Lumina:

 

Passive Belt System

 

"A passive seat belt system is used in the outboard front seating positions. Notice that the shoulder belt and lap belt retractors are both located in the door. A pendulem mechanism causes the belts to lock up if the vehicle suddenly decelerates or changes directions abruptly. The pendulums also react to door movement, so you would expect the belts to lock up every time the door is opened, making it difficult to open the door. That's why there is a solenoid in each retractor to temporarily hold back the locking bar. The solenoids are controlled by operating either the inside or outside door handles. The solenoids remain energized until the doors have been closed for several seconds."

[Prospeeder]

Every first-gen I've been in had some sort of a seat belt quirk. My GP used to randomly loosen up and you'd have to pull on it to make it taut again. Gearhead43's car does the same thing, but on the passenger side. The Cutlass will lock very easily even if you just tap the brakes. Go figure..

UHG my passenger and passenger side rear seatbelts both do that, its annoying as hell, any fix for that besides new exspensive retactors

[1990lumina]

Don't our cars have some type of "Active belt" thing...maybe that is messed up in yuor car dude?!

 

To answer this question, I will quote from the official GM technician manual for my 1990 Lumina:

 

Passive Belt System

 

"A passive seat belt system is used in the outboard front seating positions. Notice that the shoulder belt and lap belt retractors are both located in the door. A pendulem mechanism causes the belts to lock up if the vehicle suddenly decelerates or changes directions abruptly. The pendulums also react to door movement, so you would expect the belts to lock up every time the door is opened, making it difficult to open the door. That's why there is a solenoid in each retractor to temporarily hold back the locking bar. The solenoids are controlled by operating either the inside or outside door handles. The solenoids remain energized until the doors have been closed for several seconds."

 

So that's what that click sound is after a couple seconds of the doors closing.

[Grand Moff Joseph]

Yep, I've been wondering what that was ever since my grandparents first bought the car!

[White93z34]

yeah my car does that too, i've accepted it as normal

[Darksyde]

yeah my car does that too, i've accepted it as normal

 

ditto

[Grand Moff Joseph]

See, we all learn something new everyday!

[Kevinsluminaeuro]

my seatbelts dont lock up at all and never have, NONE of them that is out of all 5 is that normal?

[chadz34]

Mine lock up when I go WOT. I had to pin it once to run a yellow and I almost got choked out.

[Regal_GS_1989]

All the belts in my car have like a "tension release" on them. Where they come out a bit a stop there. You would have to pull on them to get them to go back in. I removed the little plunger in the front doors so that the fronts dont do it anymore, but i havent figured out how to disable the ones in the back.

[ns87]

digitaloutsider

"My GP used to randomly loosen up and you'd have to pull on it to make it taut again."

 

haha mine too. If i ever got into an accident, I'm pretty sure I'll get a facefull of steering wheel as mine never seem to lock

[logikf1ve]

Mine lock up when I go WOT. I had to pin it once to run a yellow and I almost got choked out.

 

Yellow doesn't equal go faster