I had the same problem with my passenger seatbelt, I was going to follow your advice but decided to try something first. Thinking about your explanation of why the ball jams I thought if dust can get in then it can go out the same way so I went to the £1 shop and got an air duster, I blasted the seatbelt mechanism still in its original position. To my surprise it fixed the problem the seatbelt is working great now with no dismantling.
Bro, you saved me. only after 3 hrs of breaking my brain in trying to figure it out. your video was the key to solving the exact same problem. you da real mvp.
I found your video the most helpful when I got some new seat belts from the wreckers yard. My Saturn L-series had retractors with ball bearings like yours. I opened up the cover, removed the ball bearing assembly and was then able to uncoil the belt. I reinstalled the assembly and all is good. Thanks!
Hey man thanks for this post. Saved me a lot of time and money! I just bought a 1998 Toyota and the seat belt is stuck. Did exactly what you showed and now my car is back on the road. THANK YOU!!!
Had to come back and thank you brotha my neighbors 98 Tacoma seat belt had stopped retracting Nd he is an older man he wanted me to go with him to the dealer and order a new one he doesn’t make much money so I watched your video and it helped me out I fixed it for him free of charge thanks to you... thank you for taking your time and making this video
Excellent. Thank you for the good view of the internals. Mine had fallen apart (been taken apart?) when I went to figure out why it was sticking, and could not figure out where that spring went!
Thank you for posting this! I just bought an 88’ Toyota pickup and swapped the seats that were in it for a factory bench seat, but I currently don’t have any seatbelts installed because the one’s I got are locked and I couldn’t figure them out. I’m gonna check them out again tomorrow and see if I can fix them by using your method.
Great! After watching this, and watching how to reset a second-hand/removed belt assembly by pulling on the belt to pack it tighter on the reel, and then put a clamp on the belt to keep it there until fitted made it work fantastically. Easy when you know the methods, and rules.
Hey bro, this was super helpful! Thank you for posting this. You saved me a ton of time by knowing what to look for getting into it. So thank you for figuring it out and sharing! This was exactly my problem 🍻
This is why I love "You Tube". I would never have thought to soak the seatbelt but I did think to look up a solution on "You Tube" Thank you, Thank you...Nancy
Thanks for this video. Had this same problem (93 Toyota Pickup) and was wondering what would cause the problem. Watched this before I tried to extract seatbelt mechanism. Took an hour to fix and that was going slow. I did not have to take out the entire seat belt out of the car, only the mechanism. If it happens again will try the compressed air trick.
Excellent video ! solved my issue with a 2015 Honda Fit, the seat belt MUST be oreintated in the postion it is installed, to allow bearing to move properly. If not, it locks.
The ball bearing gave me a hint. I was parked on a steep slope and it was fully retracted. I turned the car around (tail up higher) and the seat belt released with no fuss.
Great information, thanks! HOWEVER, this ball is dry for a reason; so it will roll easily. Any lube no matter what will attract dust and dirt. I would not lubricate it. The exception might be silicone spray. Even then, as long as the ball and housing is clean it should work fine.
Great video, my 1990 Volvo 740 did not have a seat belt issue until I needed to remove the drivers seat for under dash work. This will save me a lot of time, thank you Robert
I have a 1997 Dodge Dakota pickup truck. Is the seat belt retractor the same design? The belt will not release and let me pull it out enough to buckle it. Thanks for the video!
How do you know when the seatbelt is blown? I got hit on my bumper and it locked my passenger seatbelt. It is completely stuck.. would i be able to do what you did?
I am thankful with you, I guess I got it now, this is exactly I want to know, because that is exactly the problem I have with my seat belt on my Tacoma. I guess I got it.
wow. i feel stupid. i took my seat belt out at my friends house and could not unjam it. it kept jamming when ever i put it back into the car. HIS DRIVE WAY IS STEEP. FFS i could have just rolled onto the road and put my seatbelt on. haahha sigh
As a qualified mechanic of 30 years experience, I I feel compelled to say that this is not only illegal but it will void any insurance claim you have if you're involved in a crash. Seat belts are a NON SERVICEABLE item. They are NON SERVICEABLE because they are a critical part of your safety in a collision. If the insurance company discover you have tampered with your seat belt, they will void your policy.