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Seat Belt Retractor Problem

22312 Views 19 Replies 17 Participants Last post by  Nicks79
The drivers side seat belt on my 2000 Gt does not want to retract once I unbuckle it. It just dangles behind the seat. Does anyone know if there was a TSB on seat belts/retractors for this model year? Any estimated costs to get it fixed? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Thats weird , my pass side seat belt has just started to do the same thing !

I was going to take it apart and try the fix, but I think the seat belts have a life time warranty , Im going to call ford a see if its covered !
My driver side also. Every time I exit the vehicle I must feed it back into the B-pillar via standing there and pushing it back in b4 I close the door. Let me know what you find out:) Lifetime warranty....sounds to good to be true.
my driver side does the same BS
My car did that a few years ago and I had it fixed under warranty. There is a spring in the retractor mechanism that Ford didn't design to last very long.
I have the opposite problem. My passenger side seat belt does not want to come out once it retracts. I have fixed it a couple of times by loosening the interior panel and reaching in and messing with the retractor - cutting my arm up on the edge of the panel since I am too lazy to remove it completely. Last night, however, my wife couldn't get the seatbelt out and I couldn't fix it. I will have to check with my local Ford dealer about the seat belt warranty and if it applies to more than the original owner as I bought my GT used.
Both mine, and my wife's 03's do the same thing, but only on the drivers side.

Someone call Ford!!! :help:
Just got a 03 gt that is replacing the old 99 gt and the passenger side seat belt wouldn't go in or out, it is in the locked position. the car has 30,000 miles on it and I called ford and the seat beats are under warranty for 5/50,000 and they are going to replace it. some of the 99 and 00 models have a recall for this problem.
red05 said:
Just got a 03 gt that is replacing the old 99 gt and the passenger side seat belt wouldn't go in or out, it is in the locked position. the car has 30,000 miles on it and I called ford and the seat beats are under warranty for 5/50,000 and they are going to replace it. some of the 99 and 00 models have a recall for this problem.
Wow, kind of weird to see this thread resurface today - I finally took mine to be fixed today. The passenger side seat belt was doing the same thing - retracted all the way in and locked into position. Mine has more than 50k miles, so the warranty wouldn't cover it. A further kick in the a$$ is that Ford designed the seatbelt unit so that it can't be repaired (two different garages, including the dealership, told me this) so you have to have it replaced. I got a quote from the Ford dealer but went with the service garage at the used car lot where I bought my car because they quoted me a rate that was a little cheaper. With the part, labor, tax and all, it still cost a little over 160 bucks. I am annoyed because that's almost a short throw shifter and more than a good tint job - both of which I want. At least now when my wife and I go places I can drive my Mustang instead of her Chevy Venture, so it was worth it.
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my pass side does too. my driver side is starting to aswel.
When I called Ford they said there was no recall or TSB. Frickin BS. I'm not sure if I want to tear it apart to see what's wrong or pay some one to fix it...
the98stang said:
When I called Ford they said there was no recall or TSB. Frickin BS. I'm not sure if I want to tear it apart to see what's wrong or pay some one to fix it...
I pulled the front part of the interior panel loose a couple of times, enough to see the retractor and even jimmy it with my hand. I was actually able to get it to turn loose and work on a couple of different occasions by doing that, before it finally locked down completely and wouldn't budge. I didn't really see any way to work on it, but I make no claims of being a great mechanic. My guess is that, at the very least, you would have to replace the assembly. The part itself for mine was about $70 from Ford. This also means (as far as I could tell) pulling the entire rear interior panel on that side - which looked to me like it would be a real PITA. I thought about buying the part and replacing it myself, but was worried about breaking or losing the plastic clips that hold the interior panel on. Also, at least one bolt (the one that attaches the seatbelt to the floor and, I think, the one that attaches it near the roofline behind the seat) looks like it requires torx key or something similar that is bigger than any I have. I decided it was worth paying roughly 1 hour of labor to have someone else change it. If you decide to do it yourself, let us know how difficult a job it is. I imagine I will need to replace the driver's side belt sometime down the road and if it isn't as annoying a job as I think, I might be tempted to do it myself.
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retractor

Looks like the never resolved that problem.

Had both seatbelt retractors fixed in my 97 Stang twice under warranty. Once it was out of warranty I didn't bother. Apparently such safety items are NOT covered for life... or else dealership got tired of fixing mine :)

At least when I wrecked it in 03 the seatbelts work. Too bad they also caused the back injury I just had surgery for!
Mine comes out ok, but when it retracts, I have to thread it back, otherwise it just hangs limp. I've gotten used to it, so now it's just part of my 'pre / post take-off flight check'.
I wonder why Ford hasn't issued a TSB, or anything...
Ok so my dad has a 98 GT, clutch, exhaust, short throw, etc. and my mothe in law has the 2003 6banger

I can't stand the seat belts staying slack and not retracting. At first I thought must me some fur balls or something in the springs under the plastic interior panel, but no it was normal looking. Has anyone been annoyed by this problem, or am I the only one this bothers, or mabey your mustangs don' have this issue.

But, if you guys know what problem I am talking about or have experienced it there has to be a company out there that makes a aftermarket recoil with a strong spring.. Or something/./..?????????

I posted the above message on other mustang forms and no good reply
at least here at alfordmustings.com I have seen other Pony owners with a similar problem MUSTANG DAVE said it best "comes out ok, but when it retracts, I have to thread it back, otherwise it just hangs limp. comes out ok, but when it retracts, I have to thread it back, otherwise it just hangs limp. "

I hope someone reading our post has discovers a kicka$$ aftermarket one. Now i play the waiting game

Please help.
[email protected]
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idk i have a 2k GT as well it kinda does the same thing i just fish it through make sure theres no kinks or creases and try to feed it back into the hole....lol
My F-150 does the same thing. Undo the seat belt and it just sits there. It will retract if you help it in by hand. There were posts on the F-150 forums that basically reflect what people were saying here. The retractor is not repairable and must be replaced. One of these days I'll get around to doing it. Probably not before I replace the window trim the Ford dealership broke on me trying to fix my inoperable door lock.
Just got a 03 gt that is replacing the old 99 gt and the passenger side seat belt wouldn't go in or out, it is in the locked position. the car has 30,000 miles on it and I called ford and the seat beats are under warranty for 5/50,000 and they are going to replace it. some of the 99 and 00 models have a recall for this problem.
I saw this recall on AutoZone's website, but I called and they ran my VIN and said I wasn't covered under this recall...sounds like bs to me because my seat belts suck...wont retract but maybe a few inches and I have to pull hard to get it back...I'm not even sure they'll lock God forbid I get in a wreck.
man, same thing on my 97 gt and 02 v6.
what an odd pile.
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