Seat belt question

Feb 09, 2007 6 Replies
I

I drive 4 different vehicles. Driver's seat belt is fine in all four. BUT, in three of the vehicles the front passenger is 'locked' from reaching forward. In other words, if he/she needs any slack to reach, say, the radio, they have to undo their seatbelt, reach, and then re-harness. There is plenty of belt material (slack) but it continually gets shorter and tighter as the ride continues. Naturally, on my driver's side I can pull as much slack as I need while the belt is still attached.



QUESTION Do I have faulty belts, OR, do they purposefully have mechanisms that behave differently from on side versus the other side.



BTW, if my driver's belt didn't have available slack, I too could not reach some of the controls.



Thanks,



Ivan Vegvary


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T

"Ivan Vegvary" wrote in news:7fVyh.4336$yH3.1659@trndny07:

Make? Model? Year? What kinda car?

Psychic Wednesday isn't until next week.

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S

There are pretty much 3 types of seatbelt (well, 4 if you count the old manually-adjustable ones)

1) you pull it out, when you stop pulling, it locks and you have to retract it fully if you want to make it longer 2) you pull it out slow, it runs out free. You pull fast, it locks, but then unlocks when you retract it a little. 3) pull slow, fast, no difference, but when the setbelt mech. senses a sudden motion of the vehicle, it locks. My ranger has this style and it will lock over stutter-bumps.

You need to find out which style you're supposed to have- try playing around with the passenger side belt.

Dave

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I

4) Behaves like 2) normally, or like 1) after you pull it out all the way, then goes back to 2) if you let it retract fully.

Is your passenger wearing fluffy winter clothes or, um, extra large around the waist?

AFAICT, 4) is intended so that it is comfortable for people but still usable for baby seats.

Ivan

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C

Wankel engine seat belts? Now I have heard of every thing. cuhulin

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S

Normal. Those passenger belts are designed for use with Child Safety seats. Put the seat in and when you strap it in you push it firmly into the seat and the belt will ratchet in and lock the seat in tight. Some of that style belt can be changed to an inertia lock belt(like the drivers side) by pulling the belt ALL the way out of the retractor. Until it stops. Give a solid tug and then allow it to retract all the way. That locks the ratchet out and allows the inertia lock to function.

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I

Thank you! The above makes the most sense. I tried your method and it works.

Ivan Vegvary

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