seat belt retracts slowly

[NH73]

My 2004 Ford Sport Trac drivers seat belt retracts slowly. I heard it seems like a problem in the Fords of that era. I saw there is a TBS out about it, but some said it was nothing more than expensive teflon tape that don't last. Anything I could do?

 

[Silk]

Pledge.

 

[Lubener]

All my Fords are either slow or do not retract fully. You hear of a legitimate fix, please share.

 

[bcossa2001]

I suspect it is dirty.........
Open the seatbelt fully and use vise grips at the top to keep it from retracting. Scrub it with a brush and a 10% solution of Woolite. Or use a steamer or carpet extractor hand held attachment if you have one. Lots of YouTube videos on this.

 

[FT92]

Originally Posted by bcossa2001
I suspect it is dirty.........
Open the seatbelt fully and use vise grips at the top to keep it from retracting. Scrub it with a brush and a 10% solution of Woolite. Or use a steamer or carpet extractor hand held attachment if you have one. Lots of YouTube videos on this.

did that to the driver seat belt in my honda and yep it works again like new...would never have thought it could just be dirty

 

[tc1446]

My '13 Accord driver belt is slow to retract also. Will try the soap scrub one hot day soon.

Maybe by then my Ranger will be dried out; left window full down and it dumped rain all day yesterday!

 

[Sluggo0018]

Mazda Miatas tend to have this issue as well. I fully extended my seat belt and clamped it so it wouldn't retract. Then I washed it in a bucket of warm water and Woolite followed by several fresh water rinses. Based on the condition of the water after washing, the seat belt was pretty dirty. After letting it dry overnight, I applied a light spray of 303 Aerospace and it has fully retracted for over a year. Give it a try.

 

[LazyDog]

My CRV is the worst car that I ever own w/ lazy seat belts. I giving up trying to do anything about