convertible SEAT BELT issue

[MAXXXIMUS]

My daughter purchased a 2001 9.3 turbo convertible. The ac pump seized up. long story short- Had vehicle flat bedded to garage. After pump was replaced- repaired, my wife goes to drive home and the drivers seat belt would not "pull out" so she could obv pull across shoulder and fasten buckle. After a few weeks online trying to solve this issue, Im STUCK. Hopefully someone can Help me out. I called some online seatbelt repair shops, some wont touch, stating to old, learned 2003 up ? were recalled and some didn't do Saab repairs. I did speak with one individual who ? repairs seatbelts and he stated (My vehicle was not involved in accident) since it was flat bedded, the angle of the vehicle caused some type of ball bearing in the seatbelt mech to lock up as if the vehicle was in an accident (just not say front end accident). and this is not repairable. (I removed from vehicle myself). I found belt from salvage yard, received today. Problem is. The belt is (extended somewhat) was knotted so would not retract. when I unknotted- belt retracts BUT - wont come back out. just like my old belt. Can anyone shed some light on this PROBLEM. Thank you MIKE

[MI-Roger]

Remove the rear interior panel on the side with the recalcitrant belt. With the panel removed you should be able to see how to release the locking mechanism on the spool.

Go to the Tutorials tab for the OG9-3 and find the factory instructions I posted for installing the wind blocker grommets. These instructions will guide you in removing the inside rear panel. Skip steps 3 through 6 for what you need to do.

http://saabworld.net/f71/ng900-og9-3...uctions-29357/

NOTE: There is a screw in the rear footwell that must be removed also and this is not mentioned in the Step 7 instructions, even though the screw is pictured in the illustration.

[MAXXXIMUS]

Not quite sure what to make of it but, my post hopefully explains ive removed the original seatbelt already. Because it was retracted completely and was not able to pull any of the seat belt out of retractor -to buckle in. (was told the seat belt was locked and no longer repairable etc). Regardless - I purchased one online thru a salvage yard. Received today and basically having same issue- The one I received - (from salvage yrd) was knotted so the belt would not retract completely. (not sure if this one is bad- that is why they knotted it) anyway- I unknotted and allowed few inches to retract BUT- NOW- same situation- can not pull belt out of retractor.


HELP !!! thanks again MIKE

[9-3 Aero]

My guess is that the original belt coincidently failed at the time of the AC repair, and the salvage yard one was not "ship shape", based on your observation with regard to the knot.

The locking of the belt is controlled by two independent mechanical actions: Deceleration of the car and the acceleration of the belt when pulled. In addition is the belt tensioner activated by the SRS system together with the front airbags (airbag warning lamp would go on). The maximum lenght of the belt to be tightened by this action is only about 5 inches, so this can be ruled out as a suspect.

Have you tried pulling the belt(s) really slooow or gently jiggle it up and down - the acceleration controlled locking on mind?

[c_dudeman]

Not quite sure what to make of it but, my post hopefully explains ive removed the original seatbelt already. Because it was retracted completely and was not able to pull any of the seat belt out of retractor -to buckle in. (was told the seat belt was locked and no longer repairable etc). Regardless - I purchased one online thru a salvage yard. Received today and basically having same issue- The one I received - (from salvage yrd) was knotted so the belt would not retract completely. (not sure if this one is bad- that is why they knotted it) anyway- I unknotted and allowed few inches to retract BUT- NOW- same situation- can not pull belt out of retractor.


HELP !!! thanks again MIKE

Mike
Did you ever fix this issue? the same thing just happened to me and my 2001 viggen convertible, however I am not aware of any trauma that may have occurred. I drove the car, took off the seatbelt as usual, and when I got back in the seat belt would not move at all. looking for options...

thanks

[Sparks]

Not sure if this is the same for Saab's, as i'm new here, and to Saab, but have had that problem before with a seatbelt..

The fix at the time was to loosen the mounting bolt of the pulley end and angle it slightly one way or another and then pull the belt really slowly and carefully. Changing the angle that you pull can help also once you are pulling the belt directly from the spool. (may even help to try pulling normally with the car parked on an incline, both facing up hill and down hill to see if it helps release enough to function correctly again)

The problem i'm currently having with the drivers seatbelt on a 2001 9-3 Convertible is that the receiver end by the handbrake doesn't always want to let go of the seatbelt. A little embarrassing when you have to struggle to un-clip it..
Cant wait for the day my sister has to climb out from under the belt lol.