Seat belt woes in my '09 S

I'm curious...I have an '09 S with just over 26K miles on it. I'm on my 3rd driver's side seat belt (original + 2 replacements) and I'm going in next week to have a new passenger belt put in. The failure mode is that the retraction mechanism fades away, eventually leaving me with a puddle of seat belt on the floor.

The dealer tells me this is unheard of. I'm really struggling to think of myself as a serial seat belt abuser but maybe that's the case. Are other folks having this kind of issue? Is there a known third party solution?

Thanks!
Ted

Better be careful that the SBA police aren't monitoring this site.

That does sound strange. I know that the retraction can get a bit weak over time. I always make sure that the seatbelt is retracted all the way after I get out of the car, otherwise there can be a bit of slack. Not sure if that helps to make a difference.

No problem with the seatbelts in my 06, though.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/2011 11:01AM by Guenter in Ontario. (view changes)

If I recall correctly (20 years ago!), I used a damp terry cloth rag, and it helped. I might've used a couple drops of dish detergent in solution, too, then damp wiping with plain water as a rinse. Apparently dust or some sort of residue can make them stick.

Oh, yeah, if they ever get twisted in the guides and you straighten them, it might take several operations to get them to "iron out."

No offense taken I'll see if I can get the dealer to give me the old one so I can take it apart to see what's happening.

Ted

'09S with 27K, driver's seat belt mechanism works like new.

Sorry you're having trouble.

For years I was complaining about the seat belt on my '99 RX300. Then, finally, a guy at the Lexus service dept. pointed out that a guide that the belt passes through was all crusty, and scraping it out a bit with something sharp would free the belt to move easier.

I felt pretty stupid for not having figured that out for myself...I just ass|u|med it was something going on inside the door where I couldn't/shouldn't touch it!

(BTW, nice to see a fellow not-a-garage-queen '09S owner!)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/2011 10:48PM by Leor ('09S, North of Boston). (view changes)

My 2009 base seatbelts are fine, too.

And I have you both beat with almost 31,000 miles on my daily driver!!