Seatbelts don't retract or extend, stuck

[geokilla]

So it's stuck again, and while I got the plastic at the bottom of the B pillar off, I can't seem to get the top part off. I've tried applying force to pull it out but no luck. Don't wanna pull it with too much force and have it just break and never work again..

Fixed it!!! YAY! So happy!

I couldn't remove the top pillar, but then thanks to my friend mentioning it, I removed this cover thing at the top. Removed the red cap, then voila! It came out!

[knsanford]

My 2000 Volvo S80 driver seat belt recently got stuck extending, but would easily retract. At 190K miles, nothing surprises me anymore with stuff breaking on this car. I popped the plastic piece off where the seat belt goes into the B pillar, then sprayed some silicone with a straw end (that comes with the spray) into the bottom of the spindle that the seat belt wraps onto. It fixed the extending issue.

[scot850]

Seatbelt retracting mechanisms get filled with airborne crud over many years that can make them temperamental. Spraying lube on it may help but getting an air line in there to gently blow the crap out first stops the stuff them compacting and becoming a bigger issue.

Always worth checking the plastic guide where the belt comes through the door pillar trim. On older Volvos I have sometimes found that badly worn to the point it prevented easy moving of the belt.

Neil.