Seat belt retractor not retracting

brian729 · Post by **brian729** » 05 May 2012, 10:18

To start, I have an S40, 2002. The story goes like this:

I was sitting back in my seat at a red light, that is to say, I WASN'T tugging on the seat belt or applying any excessive force on it, and out of the blue I heard a noise like a spring unwinding. My seat belt then went slack, and I pulled it out with no resistance. It would not pull back in. To clarify, the end of the strap is still attached, so there are still 2 points of connection with the car, but it won't retract anymore, rendering it essentially useless.

I have briefly looked around at the unit, but I saw no clear way to get into the retractor mechanism to find out the exact problem or whether I need to buy an entire new part.

I appreciate any help that can be given!

myzomela · Post by **myzomela** » 06 May 2012, 23:54

I had the same thing happen to my 1998 S40. After a short look at it myself, I took it to my indy, who put in a new seat belt for about $500. I expect the relevant parts prices are much better on your side of the Pacific Ocean. If there had been a cheaper fix, I'm sure my indy would have done it, he was good like that. But this is a fundamental safety issue, so my recommendation is to replace the seat belt.

Post by **jimmy57** » 07 May 2012, 07:28

There are no service parts offered for seat belts other than the button that keeps the buckle from going out of reach by dropping too far on the belt.
If you decide on a used belt be sure you can determine if has deployed and the explosive charge has detonated.

brian729 · Post by **brian729** » 08 May 2012, 07:30

So is the general consensus to get a new belt installed by a mechanic? I was toying with the idea of finding a scrap car somewhere (my mechanic has the same car, so I bet he has invested in a parts car) and taking the belt from that. My only problem is that I don't know how to properly access the components of the pillar without deploying the airbag/setting off the SRS light (I hear that's a common problem).

twilightflyer · Post by **twilightflyer** » 30 May 2012, 03:50

check this out from another forum site, you may have to register and log in...it is a good site.

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=132009