middle rear seat belt(est)

[hammerman]

My wife took the 2.1TD est for an mot mon.It failed on front brake pads,rear exhaust vack box rubber mount,& rear middle seat belt not retracting(3 point)
I`m away in the caravan at the mo so cant do anything after work,too dark to see in my estate.How do i remove the rear seat belt?It looks built into the rear seat.
I`ve got a poo connection on the lap top & i cant use the search.

[mjb]

Not retracting? Usually it fails the other way...

The belt's in the seat back itself, I think the only way to get to it is to cut it open

[hammerman]

I`m back home now,so had a quick look.The middle belt is locked tight,pulling against the seat back.Its very difficult to lower the seat back as its so tight.
I think you are right mjb,the only(if any)way to get at it is to cut the seat back,but it feels like solid steel under the cloth.According to the Haynes book,the middle belt is incorperated into the seat back & can not be accessed.
I`ve only got this weekend to replace the front brake pads,get a new rear exhaust box & sort this seat belt out.Then it will pass its MOT.

[mjb]

Ah, yes. Common fault. Pull the seat bottom forward and you can unbolt the bottom end of the seatbelt. Feed it back into the seat top a bit, and it should free up.

Keep the rear centre seat buckled when not in use,

[hammerman]

Thanks mjb Managed to free it up by unbolting the mounting bolt.Its not perfect,pulling it out & retracting,but hopefully its enough for the retest.

[406IT]

One thing i have always done is if you are going to lower the rear seat - to give you the big boot - Tie a very loose knot in the belt before lowering the seat - pull some belt through and tie a loose knot - it wont damage the belt but it stops it going tight when you put the seat back which has happened to me a few times in the past..