Seat belt doesn't retract worth a damn...

[barrys]

I've got a 94 Ranger and the seat belt was not retracting all the way. I read up here and at TheRangerStation and found I'm really really not alone. This is a widely experienced problem on most Ford vehicles -- some say for many decades. It's so common in fact that Ford's got a "repair kit" to address it which is referenced in this TSB:

http://www.stangnet.com/images/stories/docs/sn95_TSBs/05-16-11.pdf

But, further reading told me that that's an expensive piece of teflon tape that you put on the "D" ring above your shoulder because that friction point is what causes trouble. And, reading even more, I find that it doesn't work very well after a while.

Clearly this problem is related to age and use. My driver's side is much worse than my passenger side.

I'm wide open to other suggestions and I've read over a hundred of them before posting this.

More answers to anticipated questions...
1. The retractor mechanism is part of the entire seat belt assembly. It cannot be taken apart or replaced separately. It's internal parts cannot be lubricated or replaced. It's a PITA to get to (remove plenty of interior panels) and the chances of getting a new seat belt that color matched is damn near impossible and would cost between 250 and 400 dollars.

2. Most people just deal with it and pull it taught before getting out of the truck.

3. Don't let it keep getting stuck in the door or it will fray and then you're hosed.

4. Getting one from a junk yard is widely not recommended since most of those cars were wrecked which could mean major stress on the seat belt retractor.

5. Shooting lubricant into the retractor is going to coat the seat belt with gunk that you don't want on your shirt. And, it's likely to eventually become gewy just making it worse in the long run.

6. Cleaning the belt and the "D" ring usually helps.

So, here's what I did which improved things a lot but didn't make it work like new by any means...

I cleaned the belt fabric with a small amount of Naptha and left it taught until it dried. Naptha is a great oil/grease eater so you don't want that getting into the retractor.

I then buffed out the "D" ring with some high quality 0000 steel wool (Liberon to be specific. There is no substitute... ).

Then, I pulled the seat belt out all the way and let it retract back while holding it up beyond the "D" ring to let it go back all the way. Wash, rinse, repeat about 5 times.

All of this made it a lot better and took a total of about 10 minutes of labor.

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

mine has the same issue, its really annoying i know...
i unclip mine when im stopping the truck and start retracting it by hand. if not it just lays there all extended and when im in a hurry i seat on top of it.
mine did had a wreck on that specific part of the cab, so mostly thats my problem.
tried to take it out and its a real pita-mine is reg cab so i declined.
i might try to clean it as u did

 

[RobbieD]

Mine were getting that way in my '94.

A couple of years ago I pulled the belts out of the truck, and gave them a good, wet cleaning on their whole length with foaming upholstery cleaner. After they dried and were reinstalled, they retract correctly, and they're still working fine.

This may not be the whole answer for all slack belt issues, but a full-length cleaning is just another suggestion. It's like that first foot or two on the reel being cleaned and thus more pliable made a big difference on mine.

Beyond this suggestion, you do make some excellent points and have also given some good advice on the subject.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

Hmmm... excellent. I have this problem on both my rangers to an extent, except it seems that they always retract when I open the door. BUt I will definately try this out thanks!

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

Seat belts are warrantied for the life of the vehicle.

Take it to the dealer and get a new one for free.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

Seat belts are warrantied for the life of the vehicle.

Take it to the dealer and get a new one for free.

even if your a second or third owner? or if something like a dog chews them up?

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

even if your a second or third owner? or if something like a dog chews them up?

I had mine done in my old 89 B2 in 2007, I think, I was the 5th owner. The belt had frayed on the edge and the fibers got all tangled up in the reel dealie, locked up tighter than a well digger's butt hole. Fixed Free.99

My Ex GF had a 95 Avenger, she was the 2nd owner. the belt shedded in that after being shut in the door latch too many times, fixed for free.

There's a federal law on it. Seat belts for life, Emission systems 5yrs. There's a few others too. But if you don't speak up they will charge you, cause a lot of service writers don't know either, because it's not to common.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

I had mine done in my old 89 B2 in 2007, I think, I was the 5th owner. The belt had frayed on the edge and the fibers got all tangled up in the reel dealie, locked up tighter than a well digger's butt hole. Fixed Free.99

My Ex GF had a 95 Avenger, she was the 2nd owner. the belt shedded in that after being shut in the door latch too many times, fixed for free.

There's a federal law on it. Seat belts for life, Emission systems 5yrs. There's a few others too. But if you don't speak up they will charge you, cause a lot of service writers don't know either, because it's not to common.

Good to know... my dad will be glad about that... lol my moms subi has the belts all ripped up and its an 03' and he doesn't wanna replace them.

 

[fastpakr]

The warranty covers safety issues with the restraint system. However, from what I've read, failure in the retraction system is not considered a safety problem. Unless it fails to lock properly, the belt is failing, etc., you're probably out of luck getting it repaired under warranty.

 

[barrys]

I was thinking about it a bit exactly along those lines. Mine just fails to retract all the way when not in use, but does retract fine when going around my big belly. So, I'm in the category mentioned above -- annoying but not life risking. If it didn't retract at all or even enough to snug to my body, then it is a safety issue in that -- upon forward impact -- I'd move freely until I hit the belt (and maybe the window) and then I'd be restrained by the belt.

 

[gw33gp]

Solvents can degrade synthetic materials. I would be very cautious about using naphtha or any other kind of solvent on seat belts. Water based cleaners should be just as good but will take longer to dry and should not degrade the belt material.

 

[Snowboarder7710]

mine were like that too and i bought a set of these
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SEAT...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item2a038fd80a
....i reused the buckle because it has the airbag sensor crap in it and i reused the factory floor bolts. only thing is you gotta make sure you mount the retractor perfectly level because if its tilted and your truck is on an incline they tend to lock up easy. i adjusted mine and have been happy with them!

 

[barrys]

The prices from that vendor are incredible and the sales volume and feedback look good to me. My problem is "mocha" interior so I'm hosed. (Speaking of hoses, look how many offerings they have for the fuel fill hose/pipe. Guess I'm not the only one who had one of those go. But, I paid literally 10 times as much for my part. Ouch!!)

I tried the carpet cleaner and that actually seemed to make things a little worse. I agree that Naptha is probably not a good recommendation even though it worked well for me. And, I used something like a teaspoon of it on a paper towel for the entire length of the belt.

 

[baxtej44]

slightly off topic, but it's not really worth a whole new thread IMO

my passenger seatbelt squeaks on my 88 xlt 2.9L 4x4

idk how else to describe it besides a squeak. even if it's being used, it still makes the sound. it sounds like it's coming from behind the trim my potential future girl thinks (haha)

could it be like the part where the belt winds up and what not?


not meaning to hijack, but like i said i didn't think it was worth a whole new thread for it.

 

[barrys]

That's not a hijack to me...
Yes, the retractor mechanism with the spool lives beneath that rear quarter trim directly below the slit where the belt goes in. That's the only squeakable thing in the seat belt mechanism There is no way to service it so don't bother pulling the trim (and breaking a bunch of trim retainers) since you'll just end up seeing a box that's all glued together with one clear side just to taunt you.
The eBay seatbelt setup mentioned above is not the same as the OEM setup. But, if he's happy with it it might work out for others.