Main IndexAuto Repair Home Search Posts SEARCH
POSTS
Who's Online WHO'S
ONLINE
Log in LOG
IN









Search Auto Parts

Seized seat belts after airbag deployment


  Email This Post



w0cky
Novice
w0cky profile image

Oct 28, 2013, 7:23 AM

Post #1 of 12 (2376 views)
Seized seat belts after airbag deployment Sign In

Greetings all -- this isn't an auto body question per se, but this seemed like the closest related subforum.

Had a fender bender a while back in which the airbags were deployed. The car is a 2006 Suzuki Reno with about 50k miles. I have since had the front bumper replaced by a body shop and the car looks good and drives normally again. I can't afford to replace the dash and airbags at the moment (estimated at around $2500), but I do at least need working seat belts.

Evidently when the airbags are deployed, the seat belts are also seized. Is this permanent? I would love to know if there's a way to un-seize them or if anyone has any other suggestions or advice on the seat belt front.. If this would be better posted in a different subforum let me know, thanks!


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Oct 28, 2013, 7:51 AM

Post #2 of 12 (2370 views)
Re: Seized seat belts after airbag deployment Sign In

The control module for the restraint system is a one time use module. Once the bags are deployed, it no longer works.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



w0cky
Novice
w0cky profile image

Oct 28, 2013, 7:56 AM

Post #3 of 12 (2365 views)
Re: Seized seat belts after airbag deployment Sign In

Thanks for the quick response! I gathered that it has "gone off" but I don't need any kind of working control unit, I just need mechanically retractable seat belts in the vehicle that work.


w0cky
Novice
w0cky profile image

Oct 28, 2013, 8:07 AM

Post #4 of 12 (2361 views)
Re: Seized seat belts after airbag deployment Sign In

I've looked at some aftermarket "universal" seatbelts that I'm trying to determine the viability of, fit-wise, which I'm guessing might be my only option.. but it would be great if I could use the existing mechanism and belts somehow.


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Oct 28, 2013, 8:25 AM

Post #5 of 12 (2358 views)
Re: Seized seat belts after airbag deployment Sign In

The seat belts are tied to the module for "quick take up"



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Discretesignals profile image

Oct 28, 2013, 9:23 AM

Post #6 of 12 (2352 views)
Re: Seized seat belts after airbag deployment Sign In

Taken from service information



Quote
The pretensioner is an electronically controlled pyrotechnical reactor which reduce seat belt slack when it is active with air bags.
The front seat belt pretensioner must be replaced after an accident that cause its activation.



There is no service procedure for repairing the seat belt pretensioner. Probably because of the safety issue involved. Your best course of action is to replace the seat belt pretensioner with an OEM part.





Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.

(This post was edited by Discretesignals on Oct 28, 2013, 9:28 AM)


w0cky
Novice
w0cky profile image

Oct 28, 2013, 9:31 AM

Post #7 of 12 (2343 views)
Re: Seized seat belts after airbag deployment Sign In

Ah, I see. That doesn't sound so bad. I guess my concern is, will a new one still work even though the airbags have been deployed? I'd hate to buy a new one and have it immediately fire again.


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Oct 28, 2013, 9:32 AM

Post #8 of 12 (2342 views)
Re: Seized seat belts after airbag deployment Sign In

Doesn't it need a module also?



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Discretesignals profile image

Oct 28, 2013, 9:40 AM

Post #9 of 12 (2340 views)
Re: Seized seat belts after airbag deployment Sign In

Yes it does. Just wondering, but why hasn't insurance picked up on this?





Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.


w0cky
Novice
w0cky profile image

Oct 28, 2013, 9:56 AM

Post #10 of 12 (2333 views)
Re: Seized seat belts after airbag deployment Sign In

The owner of the car had liability insurance only (unbelievable, I know), and there was no damage to anything else so we didn't figure there was much of anything to report.. Do you think the insurance co would do anything to help? I just assumed not based on the minimal policy. I just drove home with the air bags flopping around and we took it in to get the front end bits replaced a couple months later.


w0cky
Novice
w0cky profile image

Oct 28, 2013, 10:13 AM

Post #11 of 12 (2323 views)
Re: Seized seat belts after airbag deployment Sign In

So basically I'd need a new restraint system module, and new pretensioners, and hopefully the restraint system module is going to be ok with the fact that the airbags have been deployed already. I wonder, then, how much of this is accounted for in the $2500 quote I was given. I really can't swing anything close to that amount anytime soon but would like to at least be street legal.


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Oct 28, 2013, 12:21 PM

Post #12 of 12 (2315 views)
Re: Seized seat belts after airbag deployment Sign In

I would be that about $1000 of it was for the bag itself so the rest must be the other items. The moduler cannot be used and has to be programmed.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.







  Email This Post
 
 


Feed Button




Search for (options) Privacy Sitemap