driver's automatic seatbelt stuck

[93Leg-c]

Hey guys, my driver's side automatic seatbelt buckle is stuck at the corner of the track just where the buckle ends going backward and starts heading downward. The seatbelt motor wants to move it when the ignition switch is turned on. The allen wrench cannot budge it in either direction. Code #41 comes up: rear limit switch on driver's side is stuck ON. Is there a way to fix the switch or do I need to get a new seatbelt track and motor? Thanks for your help!

[dscoobydoo]

Time for a new track.

I have had to replace a few due to age issues. Sounds like you have one.

[Legacy777]

At the very least you'd have to take the track out to swap the limit switch. It'd probably just be easier to swap the entire track.

For the time being you can disconnect the electrical plug to the motor and manually crank the buckle back to the "latched" position and just manually connect/disconnect the belt until you can get a new track.

[93Leg-c]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys! It's much appreciated!

Josh, I've tried moving the buckle so that it goes to the "latched" position but it doesn't budge at all. Is the limit switch supposed to prevent that if it's stuck in the "on" position (I don't think it should if the wiring is disconnected but I thought I'd ask anyway). If a malfunctioning limit switch isn't supposed to cause the cable to be stuck (which prevents the buckle from going to the "latched" position), then what may be causing the cable from moving? Would penetrating oil help free it?

Can the limit switch itself be fixed?

[Legacy777]

Have you unplugged the motor and it still doesn't budge?

If so, the cable is probably pinched in the track. A friend here in Houston had a similar issue and I had to jam the cable back up in the track. Use a flashlight and look up in the track and see if the cable is pinched.

[93Leg-c]

Yes, the motor was both plugged in and unplugged when we (myself and a friend who is a burly mechanic) tried moving the cable using the allen wrench. I also tried using a very large screwdriver at the end of the cable but couldn't get it to budge at all. I used a flashlight and the cable seems flat and smooth all the way.

Hmmm, now that I'm thinking about it, perhaps I should whack the end of the cabling with a hammer and screwdriver. Do you think that may free up the cable if it's stuck? Or would that damage the motor or something else?

My mechanic friend also said that the computer may read that the limit switch is stuck on but it may not be the switch but the cable that is jammed. He reasoned that if the cable has not returned to the proper location, it wouldn't trigger the switch to go "off"; hence, the computer would think the switch is stuck in the "on" position. His reasoning sounds logical; does that make sense to any of you guys?

One more thing, I got a track and motor from a wrecking yard. The owner said it was working when he sold it to me. Both mine and his auto seatbelt buckle are stuck in the same place. Is that a coincidence, a common failure point, or could something else be wrong to make the seatbelt mechanism inoperative?

[Legacy777]

It's possible the buckle may be jammed and the cable is fine. I think that logic is reasonable....vs. the limit switch being bad.

If the one you picked up is stuck in the same place, I'd look at that and try and figure out why it's stuck. That may give you an idea why yours is stuck.

[Corifto]

Has anyone checked into warranties? I come from Nissans, that also have the auto belts, and although the car is 20+ years old, if you take them to a dealer, they will fix any issues with the seatbelts, as a safety/liability issue.

[entirelyturbo]

That warranty only applies to vehicles 1995 and newer. I looked into it for my own car when my seat belt started acting up.

Doesn't hurt to call the Subaru hotline though and double-check, though... 1-800-SUBARU-3.


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[Corifto]

In my brief search, I've seen otherwise. But what I have seen, is when in doubt, contact SoA.

Sent from under your bed.

[93Leg-c]

Thanks guys for the referral to Subaru on the warranty. I called the 800 number and finally talked to a representative and he said the mechanism has no warranty on it since it would be a "wear and tear" item. He said the belts themselves have a lifetime warranty on defects. He recommended I call the local Subaru dealer, which I did. The service rep said there is no warranty on any of the seatbelt parts at all on my car although it comes on most cars.

It was worth looking into but those are my findings.

[Corifto]

Sorry buddy, I was hoping to help.

Sent from under your bed.

[93Leg-c]

Sorry buddy, I was hoping to help.

You need not feel sorry. It was a good suggestion. I appreciate you thinking of me! Thanks!

[BoneIslandScooby]

At the very least you'd have to take the track out to swap the limit switch. It'd probably just be easier to swap the entire track.

For the time being you can disconnect the electrical plug to the motor and manually crank the buckle back to the "latched" position and just manually connect/disconnect the belt until you can get a new track.

Might you be able to provide instructions on how to do this? Where is the plug located? Where do you get access to crank the buckle back to the latched position. Need to do this ASAP. Thank you for any help you might offer.

[Legacy777]

The hand crank is located in the lid of the center console. There are little round clips that come off the bottom of the B pillar trim. You should see where to stick the hand crank/allen key. This should allow you to manually crank the belt buck back as long as the motor isn't seized or the cable stuck.

As far as swapping the track and limit switch, you need to remove the lower & upper B pillar trim & the front A pillar trim. Once you get that off you should see the rail and everything. You can take a look at my manual seat belt conversion for some pics of the rails and the seat belt guts.

http://www.main.experiencetherave.com/s ... seatbelts/

[93Leg-c]

Hmmm, I thought I had updated this thread but I guess not. So here's the final outcome:

The cable was jammed and stuck. The outer plastic (or whatever it's made of) sheathing surrounding the cable was cut badly and jammed in the track. That all happened because the track itself was stretched open wider than what it should be at the upper-most corner, causing the cable sheathing the get cut and jammed into the inside edges of the track.

I believe the track itself got widened out because, when the automatic shoulder belt automatically slides out of the way when the door is opened, there were more than a few times where the belt was so tight that when the buckle moved upward on the track and around the sharp bend, the tension on the seat belt actually caused the track to widen out to allow the buckle and cable to progress in its movement down to the front of the track. The belt was so tight that at times it took the breath out of me. I think this happening repeatedly caused the widening of the track, hence causing the cable to eventually jam.

The solution was getting a whole track with motor and cable to replace the original damaged track and cable. (I really want the manual seat belt conversion from a Canadian car but cannot afford it.)

[Legacy777]

I helped a friend in houston with a 93 Legacy that had a similar issue. the cable was all jacked up and we ended up using one of my old auto seat belt motors & cable.