Seatbelt not retracting properly 1996 NSX T

[BR96RedTan]

My driver seatbelt is not retracting properly on my 1996 NSX T

I took it to an Acura dealer (Nissani Acura in Culver City, CA) they tried to r&r and clean it but it did not work... I have to feed it in to retract (first world problem, I know). They are now telling me that the tension-er part is no longer available and giving me no alternatives.

I assume there may be some work arounds:

1) Perhaps there is an interchangeable Honda part?
2) Switch out the driver belt with the passenger belt which get a lot less use

Someone once told me that seatbealts were guaranteed for life since auto makers do not want owners messing with safety equipment, but I have never heard that verified

Suggestions?

 

[drew]

Parts still available
http://jp-carparts.com/honda/partlist.php?maker=honda&type=NSX&cartype=19676&fig=B&fig1=4120

Press them on the Honda warranty on seatbelts.

 

[Old Guy]

I think your 1996 should have pyrotechnic pretensioners and I think that makes switching the driver and passenger seat belts a non option. Dig out your owner's information (or perhaps check the NSK Wiki to see if there are scanned versions). In the warranty section of the owner's manual it will specify whether the seat belts have a perpetual warranty. As an observation, if the non operation is caused by wear / fraying on the belt as opposed to something like a failure in the tensioner, the warranty probably isn't going to provide that type of coverage.

As noted, replacement belts with pre tensioners are available. Be careful with the parts from the Japanese vendor. Those part numbers do not match the part numbers for North American spec vehicles. I don't know whether that means that they won't fit, are non pre tensioner belts, don't meet North American safety standards, or are just a Japanese domestic market numbering thing. The price is nice; but, you need to do your homework to confirm that they will be acceptable.

https://www.oemacuraparts.com/auto-...ual-engine/interior-bumper-cat/seat-belt-scat

There are a number of seat belt specialists who will re web a worn belt and also offer pre tensioner rebuild service. Search the web. That may be a more economical operation than a new $800 belt assembly.

 

[BR96RedTan]

Thanks for that info.

There are no signs of wear or fraying on the belt, it looks pristine

I dug out the owner's manual and found there is a warranty on the seat belts for the "useful like of the car", see below

I will bring this to the attention of the service manager and see what they have to say

 

[Brylek]

I was once told that all SRS systems come with life time warranty at Acura and seat belts are a part of the system so I would definitely go to the dealer to see what they have to say about the issue.

Good luck!

 

[drew]

The retraction issue is an issue with lots of cars. I recommend spraying the belt with silicone, extend it all the way out, spray lightly on both sides, and profit. I suspect the tension is in a very narrow band to balance comfort with safety and a little extra friction overwhelms the spring. The downside of doing this is that the dealer won't be able to reproduce the symptoms and makes warranty replacement difficult.

The seatbelts ARE lifetime warranty.

The SRS system: not so much. They don't even entertain support. And SRS control units are out of production. Ask me how I know this!

I have a JDM NSX with [explosive] pretensioner and it appears they only apparent difference is the lack of DOT/NHTSA tag. If you do replace the seat belt make sure you get the tag from it and reapply it to your new one...because regulatory reasons [that hopefully nobody cares about].