Unlocking stuck seatbelts, cause and how to fix

All seat belts are angle sensitive and the seatbelt should retract when positioned correctly.

Most seat belts retract at the 90° angle, but some other seat belts require different angles, push and pull methods. 

Seatbelt jammed up for no reason?

There could be a few different reasons and causes for the seat belt to be jammed up.

  • The webbing getting stuck in the mechanism not allowing it to retract back in.
  • Seat belt getting jammed when the position of vehicle was going up or down a steep hill. 
  • Spring mechanism could have went bad or popped out.
  • Old, frayed, or torn webbing can cause the seat belts to jam.

How to unlock a Jammed or stuck seatbelt. 

This depends on what the issue is with the seat belt, but most of the times it is able to be fixed or repaired.

  1. If the seat belt is still in the vehicle, try to push in, or pull out the webbing and pull it in different angles. 
  2. If you have no luck making the seat belt retract, then it is recommended to remove the seat belt retractor from the vehicle and try to make it retract in your hands.
  3. When holding the seat belt retractor mechanism in your hands, you want to make sure that it is being held at the very specific 90° angle while pushing and pulling the webbing. 

Usually all you have to do is hold the seat belt at that 90° angle and pull the webbing out. Sometimes the webbing is stuck and needs to be pushed in a little for it to fully unlock and then retract out. 

Nothing wrong with the Seat belt and it’s locked up?

If theres nothing wrong with the seatbelt, then the seat belt needs to be held at that correct angle for it to release. This video will explain exactly how to make it retract out.

How to fix jammed or bad seat belts ?

If the seat belt keeps getting locked up on you because the webbing is bad, then replacing the webbing will solve the issue.

If the seat belt webbing is good, and you think there is something wrong with the spring mechanism, a spring replacement service should solve the issue.