The seatbelt will not remain latched in place due to what appears to be a broken spring underneath the red seatbelt release button. How do I remove the female part of the seatbelt that is bolted to the chair rail? It looks like it may be a Torx bolt. I tried to get a T40 socket in there but I cannot get a good angle. I assume the driver's seat must be moved. The driver's seat also appears to be held in place by some Torx bolts. What is the proper name for these bolts and how do I remove them. It feels like I am going to strip them using the T40 snap-on socket.

 

A little help.....please.

 

I haven't attempted this but maybe ....?

The seat squab is held in place by two screws through the upholstery at the front - remove these two screws and the seat squab can be pivoted up and clear of the seat mechanism - perhaps by moving the seat either forward or back there would be enough clearance to get a "good angle" on the torx head?

btw, Seat belt anchor fasteners are highly torqued and need quite a bit of force to release.

hth

Larry

 

Hi supra-raleigh,

I do think you will need to at least unfasten the driver's seat in order to access the seatbelt anchor. Remove the seat cushion as Larry suggests, and if that doesn't give you the access you need, move the seat all the way forward to remove two screws at the rear ends of the seat rails, then move the seat backward to access the two screws at the front ends of the rails. There are several electrical connectors which you may need to disconnect, but you might just try tilting the seat enough to get your Torx bit on the seatbelt anchor screw. Larry's right that it is very securely torqued.

The seatbelt latch does come apart and you may be able to repair it. I think there may be one screw that holds the outer clamshell housing together, but the internal parts are numerous and small, so it will be best to remove it from the car before attempting to disassemble it.

I may have photos of the internals - I'll have to check.

There's a good chance that something inside has broken, so you may want to order a salvaged unit from eBay in preparation just in case the existing latch is not reparable.

Cheers,

Don