Seat belts

Have a problem on my passenger side seat belt. Tries the cleaning and lube which helped just a little.

But looks like maybe it has been worked on before. On the passenger side the belt looks like it is twisted. Belt does not lay flat like the drivers side. Is this normal?
Will post a pic but maybe hard to see what I am saying. Passenger side does not get used much so did not notice before.

Also was looking on ebay for a replacement. But if I replace would it be better to spend the money for a new one. Since it seems these do wear out. Also is this hard to replace?

Thanks for any help

 

Looks like it's just got twisted through the top. You should be able to fold it towards the correct way and pull it through to fix it.

I have no idea how this happens but my daughter is a master at twisting seatbelts.

 

Clean it with soap and water after fixing the orientation. There was a suggestion a member on here had about applying some silicon type spray once it's clean. I'm sure he'll chime in later. I haven't tried it myself, but I've had the seat belt replaced 3 times under warranty, so just a bad design I believe.

Also, not something you want to do yourself as there's a propellant charge built into it to make it work correctly. Don't need that going off in your hand/face if you're unsure of how to do it correctly.

Maybe the repair manual provides some detail? I'm not sure.

 

Tried that but not enough room to do that. And then would have to do 2 of them. The top hanger and then the latch part. I guess I could sand out the gaps to do so. But that is a separate issue from the spring issuse. So if I have to replace anyway not sure worth the time. Just does not make sense.
The twist is odd on that one side. But I can pull out the belt before the twist and still have the problem with it retracting.

 

Needs a fold over and slide flipping. Both belt flaps should lay flat. No twist as you have now.

 

Was able to sand the top holder and get the belt straight. But still can get the last 12" of belt to retract. And dealer said a new part is discontinued.
Anyone actually replaced one. Or is this something a dealer should do. If I could myself. It would be worth it for me to try a used one off ebay for about 100.00.
Otherwise may not be worth paying dealer for install since that one may also not last.
Could not find any instructions on actual replacement.
thanks

 

It’ll last if you keep it clean and always keep it from kinking when you release it. It will slow down retracting with time but it won’t stop altogether if you take care of it.

 

I replaced the seatbelts in my son's Mustang after a rear end collision (his fault). The belt would no longer retract once the tensioner charge went off. I found a same color replacement on Flea-bay and scooped it up for about $55. Just bolted in and plugged into the existing harness with no fuss. Also replaced his driver's airbag myself with a new in the box replacement. Had a body shop reset the computer. I would definitely disconnect the battery and wait for it to discharge during either. I don't see seatbelts being a common failure point on these models (other than the lazy retraction). I too taped my seatbelt off and sanded the plastic upper shackle part to make more clearance for the belt. It helped a lot, but did not fix the problem altogether. I'm leery of using any type of treatment on the belt as I do not want to degrade the material or shorten it's life. Silicone spray could be safe, but then I worry it would transfer off the belt onto clothing also.