Question: My seat belt is stuck and I don’t know how to fix it myself. I’ve tried, but nothing has worked. How do you get a seat belt unstuck?
Answer: There are a few steps to fix a seat belt that is stuck. If you are in your car right now, you can follow these simple steps to get it unstuck.
- Pull on the seat belt to release the auto-lock. Pull it away from the seat and gradually let it go back into place. If the belt doesn’t snap into place, it might be tangled or twisted.
- Take off the plastic cover holding the seat belt mechanism to expose the belt loop and hardware. You can retract the seatbelt bit by bit manually so it returns to its original position.
- Another step you can try is to pull out the seat belt completely to expose kinks, tangles, or objects jammed inside. Untangle the belt or remove any stuck objects. Let the belt go back into place and test it for proper operation.
Once you get home, you should try some maintenance steps. Clean your belt using these steps:
- Cleaning the seat belt involves using hot water, a cleaning solution, and either a thin brush, butter knife, or screwdriver.
- Extend the seat belt, secure it with a clip, and apply the cleaning mixture.
- Scrub the entire length of the belt to remove dirt thoroughly.
- Rinse the belt with clean water to remove all soap residue.
- Allow the seat belt to dry entirely before retraction and use.
If you have a retractor that’s locked:
- Try pulling the belt as hard as you can
- If not, try removing and repairing it manually. Turning the retractor spool with a screwdriver can help retract the belt smoothly.
Seat belt warranties
Seat belt warranties can last longer than basic warranties, so they might be worth exploring as an option to fix your stuck seat belt.
For example, Honda has provided a lifetime warranty on seat belts. Honda will repair or replace any seat belt component that fails to function properly during everyday use.
Toyota and Ford have a warranty for seat belts that lasts 60 months or 60,000 miles, whereas its basic coverage only lasts three years or 36,000 miles.
We’d also like to debunk the rumor that seat belts in the United States are covered by a lifetime warranty. The truth is that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has no regulations or statutes requiring car manufacturers to provide a lifetime warranty.
However, if NHTSA finds that a vehicle or piece of equipment, under ten years old, has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a relevant federal motor vehicle safety standard, the agency can require the manufacturer to fix the issue at no cost to the owner.
Xuyun Zeng is a content strategist with a wide-ranging content background including tech, journalism, cars and health care. After graduating with highest honors in journalism, Xuyun led a newspaper to win eight awards, helped start an award-winning film industry podcast and has written over a hundred articles about cars repair, state laws and insurance. Prior to joining Jerry, Xuyun worked as a freelance SEO consultant with a mission to create the best content that will help readers and grow organic traffic.
Giselle Gomez is an editor with over a decade of experience editing content across personal finance, education, travel, and sports. In editing for Jerry, Giselle’s focus is on making sure content is consumer and SEO-friendly and helping readers understand all things car ownership. In prior roles, she worked as a content strategist, syndication editor, and writer. Her work is featured in AP, NerdWallet.com, BestColleges.com, and more. Giselle holds a master’s degree from Arizona State University.
