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Seatbelt latch replacement

I am not sure if I should be going to ford over this or to a hjunk yard.

My 96 Explorer sport driver side seat belt latch has started to fail, and will suddenly decide to release the seatbelt. Worst is when you are driving and the belt suddenly pops open.

Is this a common problem and more importantly, is it easy to fix...as in a DIY project.

Thanks for any feedback.

Reply to
mjm
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Hey mjm.

I had this very same problem happen to my '97 Explorer V8 last week. I called the Ford dealership. They wanted $85 Canadian dollars for a replacement buckle, but I had to wait two days because they didn't have one in stock. Plus, they are only available in grey now and my vehicle is blue. I called around the wreckers and found one for $25, but I had to pull it out. I finally found a guy who told me he will repair my original buckle in three minutes for $25. After hearing that, I tried to take the buckle apart myself. I found a broken leaf spring under the locking clip. I canabalized an old GM buckle for the leaf spring. It didn't fit perfectly because the little seat belt switch was in the way, but a quick trim with the Dremel tool fixed that up. It's working like new. The hardest part of the whole operation was removing the buckle from the seat. I had to remove the centre console in order to work around the buckle.

If you don't mind playing around, it's an easy DIY project.

"mjm" wrote in news:Mmuxc.32874$ snipped-for-privacy@news20.bellglobal.com:

Reply to
Uncle Albert

I had the same problem (internal spring) with my 95.

Part was ~$40 at the dealer.

R&R was under 1 hr.

OEM part includes connector for SB switch.

IMO I would purchase the OEM part just in case...

Reply to
al kemist

I found that a local junker-yard said they would repair them for $25 if I could give them the part. It was a bit of a bitch to get off, but managed.

If anyone is interested, this is how I ended getting mine out.

  1. removed the back seatbelt rail (torques screw star shaped)
  2. Move the seat to the front most position, and using a thin spanner ratchet (10mm) you can remove the bolt that connects the buckle slider from the seat
  3. again with the thin spanner ratchet (10mm) you can remove the bold that holds the seatbelt rail underneath the seat near the front.
  4. Disconnect the seatbelt sensor connecter at the junction patch

took the whole thing in and got it fixed for $20cad cash, then the opposite steps to put it back together.

Reply to
mjm

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