seat belt latch failure
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 425
Likes: 119
From: Tri-Cities, (Richland), WA
I am not sure about relocating the seat belt latch, the latch anchor may be different, take a look at SNG Barrett's online Parts Catalog, and look up both parts to see if they are interchangeable.
In the meantime, I would use a strong vacuum, electronics cleaner, and canned compressed air, directed into the latch and while exercising the latch button to dislodge any foreign matter which may have become lodged in the belt buckle latch, followed by a lubricant. It could be that something sticky, or a chunk of something has jammed the latch release mechanism, keeping it from disengaging completely and latching the metal buckle insert. It may be a shard of plastic from the latch trim has broken away and fallen inside of the buckle, or the plastic has torn, and folds inward blocking the latch from clasping, and pulls back out when the metal buckle insert is withdrawn, or even a glob of something sticky or damage on the metal latch insert itself.
It may seem like a long shot, but I have had all of the above happen to seat belt components on cars I have owned over the years. The hardest one to find was a small corner of torn plastic, that folded inward blocking the latch. The tolerances are so close that only upon close inspection, while inserting the metal insert into the buckle, and watching the plastic distort and block the insert, was I able to determine it was the problem. I was surprised when I discovered a small glob of something gummy on the metal insert side of my '80 RX-7 seat belt buckle prevented it from latching.
In the meantime, I would use a strong vacuum, electronics cleaner, and canned compressed air, directed into the latch and while exercising the latch button to dislodge any foreign matter which may have become lodged in the belt buckle latch, followed by a lubricant. It could be that something sticky, or a chunk of something has jammed the latch release mechanism, keeping it from disengaging completely and latching the metal buckle insert. It may be a shard of plastic from the latch trim has broken away and fallen inside of the buckle, or the plastic has torn, and folds inward blocking the latch from clasping, and pulls back out when the metal buckle insert is withdrawn, or even a glob of something sticky or damage on the metal latch insert itself.
It may seem like a long shot, but I have had all of the above happen to seat belt components on cars I have owned over the years. The hardest one to find was a small corner of torn plastic, that folded inward blocking the latch. The tolerances are so close that only upon close inspection, while inserting the metal insert into the buckle, and watching the plastic distort and block the insert, was I able to determine it was the problem. I was surprised when I discovered a small glob of something gummy on the metal insert side of my '80 RX-7 seat belt buckle prevented it from latching.
Veteran Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 8,833
Likes: 2,921
From: Douglasville Ga.
I often have that problem with my XJ6. I found that pushing the release down while jiggling a screwdriver deep inside is a temporary fix. I think it's a weak spring causing the problem, but no way to take it apart. You should be able to find one on ebay or a local junkyard.
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