Many individuals, especially those with older cars, face the problem of having loose seat belts. The reason many people have a loose seat belt is that the seat belt won’t go in, or retract, properly. There are several different solutions to this problem posted online. Some people recommend disassembling the actual seat belt retractor and manually rotating the spool. Others say the retractor issues may be due to something stuck in the actual seat belt buckle, which prevents the material webbing from retracting properly. Below, I will describe yet another potential reason for your loose or poorly retracting seat belt.
If there is no mechanical issue with your seat belt, and there is nothing stuck in the actual buckle, the problem may lie in dirty seat belt webbing. Over time, the webbing can accumulate a lot of grime and sweat, which causes it to be firm to the touch and difficult to retract into the seat belt mechanism. Fortunately, there is a pretty simple fix for this. All you need is some foam furniture polish, a pair of gloves, some thick paper towels, sunlight or heat, and of course some time. Also, it would be optimal for you to have some degreaser handy, to clean your seat belt before applying the foam polish. If you do not have a degreaser, some regular soap and water will probably still do the trick.
The first step would be for you to pull the seat belt completely out, without taking anything from the car.
Next, spray 1-2 feet worth of foam onto the safety belt, allowing it to soak through the material webbing.
Then, release the belt and pull it back out about 3-4 times. This will allow the polish to get squeezed into the retractor mechanism.
When you have done that, wipe off any excess furniture polish from the seat belt, seat belt pivot clip on the b-pillar, and the seat belt cover with the paper towels.
If needed, you may have to repeat these steps a few times.
If this does not work, however, you may want to consider sending your seat belt into a professional company. The company Safety Restore specializes in seat belt repair and will surely be able to assist you with your belt! After sending in your belt to this company, it will no longer be loose or retract poorly!
