Saturday, April 14, 2012

Why did my seatbelts stop working after my fender bender

By Jose Ascunce


Seatbelts that lock up after an accident is a common problem - yet drivers are still not current with the proven fact that they are part of the SRS safety system in there car. Did you know that most vehicles that are 2002 and newer come fitted with pretensioners from the factory.

These pretensioners contain a charge just like an airbag. During an accident they fire off and instantly pull you into the base of your seat. The advantage of the pretensioner is they create more distance from the impact of the airbag and your shoulders and chest. It is a generally accepted fact that adding the gap between the driver and airbag reduces head and torso injuries related from the deployment of the airbag. So what do you need to do if your seatbelt is locked and does not retract.

Unfortunately, you only have 2 selections, your first option is to remove and replace the pretensioners with brand new OEM seatbelts. As of late, I have seen some pretensioner costs reduced as inexpensive as $89.00 per side for each one. But, on most occasions if you plan to purchase them at your local dealer, you can look to spend about $159.00 and up for the parts in addition to any work needed for the replacement. In any case to fix the seatbelts using dealer parts can get rather costly dependent on the year, model and brand of your car. Another choice, is to have your seatbelt rebuilt. However , it's vital to notice that to rebuild them properly - they will need to be properly calibrated so that they operate just like from the factory.

However, don't worry, rebuilding your belts isn't as complex as it appears. You can start by removing the paneling and an oversize bolt located on each side next to the pillar (by your shoulder). Once that assembly is removed - you are ready to substitute it with new parts or you now have the ability to mail them to any company to have them rebuilt and re-calibrated. It is important to note that most repairs can cost anywhere from $100.00 each for domestic and foreign vehicles and a bit more for the higher end fancy models. Reconstructing, your seatbelts is a good option, because it saves you money and even some of your current parts are reused. Recycling these parts will help improve the environment and reduces our carbon footprint. One downside to reconstructing seatbelt pretensioners is that you might need to allow additional time for your project due to the travel time for shipping.

Inconclusion, if your seatbelts got stuck after an accident you are now more equipped to handle the situation.




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