Broken Seatbelt Question

featherhead

Well-known member
DH has a '98 Saturn that he drives to work and back. Today the casing on the female end of the buckle broke off. The seatbelt does not function without it. He called a dealership as well as a body shop in town here, and it looks like the seatbelt for his car is discontinued and can't be found. He has already tried searching the internet and hasn't found anything yet. The dealership is checking auto wreckers for him. So his question is whether or not it would work to take the buckle from the passenger seat and put it on the driver seat. He almost never has a passenger in the car. Once in a while one of the girls goes with him, but in the back seat of course ;) I'm not sure if anyone here is qualified to answer that question, but I thought it was worth a shot :)
 
ADS

Mommy!

Active member
I wouldn't recommend he do it. Even if he got confirmation from the manufacturer that the parts were identical, he would still be driving around with a non functional seatbelt in the passenger seat. Most, if not all, provinces and states, as far as I know you can get a hefty ticket for that, even if its not needed at the time.

Now, if he doesn't have confirmation that the parts are identical, all the issues above, plus it may not function the way it was designed. Kind of like swapping a crotch buckle from one seat and putting it into another seat because they look the same and click together right. Probably not a good idea.

I would recommend not only the auto wreckers, and if the dealer doesn't turn any up he can search himself (might even be a better idea seeing as you never know if the scrapped car has been in a wreck, but if DH gets the seatbelt in person he might have a chance to check that the vehicle it came from wasn't obviously totalled.

Another option could be a retrofit seatbelt, something like www.seatbeltplanet.com

Obviously the best would be a new part from the dealer, but if that's not an option you'd have to weigh the pros and cons of a used "dealer" part from a scrap yard against a new, but aftermarket/retro part.
 

featherhead

Well-known member
Well he decided to take it all apart yesterday and have a look. The two buckles were the same except for the sensor that turns on the seatbelt light. So he put the passenger buckle on the driver side for now. He left the passenger seat out completely for now while he waits to see if the part can be found. He did some searching yesterday and still couldn't find anything.
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,655
Messages
2,196,895
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top