Repair Topics / Car Seat Belts

• How seat belts work
• How air bags work

MORE: Car seat belt questions

Question: 1994 Ford Mustang mileage: 95,000. Neither the Power seat nor lumbar support work. I checked for blown fuses under the dash. Nothing is blown. I did find fuse 13 is grounded on BOTH sides. I checked the fuse block under the hood. Fuse 1, 30 amps is blown. It instantly blows when replaced with ignition on or off. There are no markings on either block telling what each fuse is for. I bought a Haynes manual. It has some diagrams, but none for power seats.

Answer: Your lumbar support is controlled by a small electric air pump. Try disconnecting the wires to the pump and see if the fuse still blows. If it does not blow, you have a faulty motor for the lumbar support. If it does blow then you have a short in the wiring somewhere for the switch.

Question: 1999 Toyota Tacoma mileage: 70,000. My Seat belts in my truck won't roll up anymore and I have to do it manually. How can I fix this? I plan on keeping this truck probably 10 more years and would like to maintain it.

Answer:   The only fix is to replace the spring-loaded seat belt retractors. This is a dealer only item.

Question: 1999 Ford F150 mileage: 135,798. I was wondering if the power seat can go back any further, the seat is all the way back now, so is there way to make it go back farther?

Answer:   There is no safe way we can recommend to do this, sorry.

Question: 1999 Nissan Altima mileage: 86,000. I was rear ended hard enough to release my air bag.  I got everything fixed except my electronic seat belts. I tried the rear button for them and also tried manually cranking them but they still are not working. Is their a special fuse or circuit breaker for them?

Answer: The dealer will have to reset the computer that controls the seatbelts.

Question: 1998 Jeep Wrangler mileage: 85,000.  My seat belts are sticking in the retractor mechanism.  They stay out, not retracting against my chest when I drive.  Can I fix something like this?  Is it a matter of opening retractor and lubricating?

Answer:  The seatbelt retractors are not serviceable.  The entire assembly must be replaced.

Question: 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu mileage: 66,000. I just need to know how to install seatbelts in the back seat if it is possible to do it yourself. Thank you!

Answer: Installing seat belts must be done correctly. Drilling holes and just bolting them down is risky. Factory installed seat belts have engineered structural support to secure the belts.

Repair Topics / Car Seat Belts