Fixing the left front seatbelt


Both my front seatbelts are a little ‘Lazy’, but the left hand one eventually got completely stuck and wouldn’t retract at all. It had often got a bit twisted too, but when it finally wouldn’t retract I got round to fixing it!

I bought a second hand one form ebay which cam from USA and was surprisingly reasonable price for such a journey (~£35). However, it turned out I didn’t need it. This fix did not need to take the whole belt out, so unfortunately I can’t help you if you have to do that.

Safety

Jaguar seatbelts include a device which retracts the belt against the occupant in the case of a crash. These use an explosive device which you really don’t want going off in your hand as you fit it, so…

DISCONNECT THE VEHICLE BATTERY BEFORE STARTING!!!

You may also want to check you have the radio code before disconnecting the battery!.

Tools

The tools I used were


The trim removal tool is much recommended if you want to keep damage to the trim and the fir tree fasteners that hold it in place to a minimum. Mine was only £8 from Amazon

Now remove the two fir tree fasteners by slipping the trim remover underneath them and squeezing. They should pop out easily. However, on an old car like mine (2001) they seem to have gone quite brittle so be gentle with them.

The trim should now come away form the car.

Start by moving the front seat and backrest as far forward as it will go to make room.

First pop off the cover of the seat-belt hanger. You should be able to do this with your fingers, or use a screwdriver gently. It comes off pretty easily. Next pull the height adjustment knob just above it off with the pliers.

Now undo the hangar bolt with the 17mm spanner, and the belt should come away form the side of the car.

The seatbelt mechanism is now in view. At this point I could see what the problem was so didn't need to go any further. The belt had twisted, and the twisted portion had rolled back onto the roller, causing the retract mechanism to jam. It was a simple case of easing the belt out and resolving all the twists, before fitting everything back the opposite of how I took it off.


WARNING!

The fir tree fasteners were really brittle and I managed to damage one of them while tapping it back in with a hammer. I suggest pushing them in with your thumb if possible, and only gently tapping them with something a bit softer to ensure they don't break.



Good luck!