HELP! My seatbelt retractor just took a dump this morning!

[mzchevelle]

My seatbelt retractor in the driver's door has been acting bad for some time, but this morning when I went to pull it out, I heard this terrible grinding noise and now the 3pt is all the way out and won't retract. I have asked the local Honda dealer for help on this in the past and they are absolutely USELESS!!! There are tons of these old Accords (mine is a 1988) out on the roads, so where do these owners go for help? Would be nice if the whole car was indestructible, but the seat belts suck!

Any help would be appreciated. I live in the Thousand Oaks area and due to the nature of this problem, I probably won't be driving this car much until the problem is fixed. If I get in an accident with no seatbelt, I am as good as dead in this car.

1988 Honda Accord LXi, 2 dr hatchback.
HELP!!!
:rolleyes:

[charliekuney]

Seat belts for these cars had some recalls. Go to a Honda dealership, they should replace it for free.

[obdriver6]

I know our accords have a lifetime warranty on the seat belts so yeah listen to charlie. A while ago another member had his replaced at a dealership.

[Dr_Snooz]

It's rare for these seatbelts to go bad. The recall was for the buckle release buttons. They liked to crumble apart. The debris would fall into the buckle mechanism and jam it. Not good in a crash. I've never heard of any problems with the retractor mechanisms. I wonder if it's full of old sandwich crumbs and dried root beer. Possibly it was in an accident. If so, they need to be replaced, in their entirety, pronto. If the dealer isn't a help, you should be able to find good replacement seat belts in the right color at the junkyard. Just make sure they retract properly before going to all the work of removing them.

[2drSE-i]

Honda offers a lifetime warranty on ALL of their cars. If the dealership isn't willing to help, either show them your owners manual (if you have one) or call Honda of America. They should be able to get the ball rolling for you.

[mzchevelle]

I put the Honda away until I can get it over to the dealer...I'm ready for the resistance from them! I'm driving my 2008 Saturn Astra this week while I check into this further. God help my Honda! I love her!

[lostforawhile]

all Honda seatbelts are lifetime warranty, regardless of the recalled parts, if any part of the seatbelt fails it's supposed to be replaced at Hondas expense