having probs with middle rear seat belt not rolling out,this is the second mondeo I have owned with the same prob is this common and could I replace it with a lap belt so that I don't have this hassle anymore.On my other car I just cut it out for its MOT but I need 3 belts in the back now and its doing my head in

 

common problem. buy a second hand seat from a breaker thats the cheapest way to get it working


Dave

 

Cheers thanx for that Dave nearly shit myself when was quoted Ł110 from ford just for the belt alone.Christ only paid 450 for the whole car

 

if you tip the seat down to thre halfway position you can normally pull the belt out.

 

there is an interlock cable between middle seat belt and the seat hinge lock,unclip it from the seat belt inside the seat and it will work again

 

cheers for that I'll give that a go first

 

I have a Mondeo, the seatbelt won't work unless the seat is fully on the catch and you have to properly slam the seat back onto the second catch to make the seat belt work, the seat catch is in two stages and you need to make sure it's on the 2nd catch. Hope you get it sorted.

Debs

 

this is true i work in a mot garage and come across this problem quite often (the ford focus is the same iirc) make sure the seat is secure and locked fully and it should work

 

if its the mk3 mondeo as the blue one in my sig its very common.


fold the seat down, and give it a FUCKING HARD SLAM upright again.

The belt will only work when the back rest is fully latched into place, if you can see a bit of red in where the button is, then it isnt in properly

 

i believe it is a safety feature to stop the seat belt being used when the back of the seat is'nt secured

 

the release clip is in the black plastic plug at the bottom, if yuo look there is a small square hole. if you put a paper clip into it, it will release the plug out. the seat has to be tilted at this point

the seatbelt should now release from being jammed. then spool out the belt as far as it will go, slam the seat back, and then plug it back in at the bottom.

sometimes takes 2 or 3 goes.

i've had to fix a few of these.

the last one i looked at which was one of the last mk2's made, for some reason, ford had stopped fitting this release mechanism! clever or what.

so i had to put in a 2nd hand seat with release mechanism from a scrappy.

if you cant find a scrappy seat the right colour, it is very very easy to swap the original cloth or leather cover over (and cushions and armrest if necessary)

 

cheers thanx for that will give it ago in the morn

 

why? try the far simpler suggestions that have been said first

 

tried these suggestions but still no luck so will give the plastic plug a try

 

I don't think its a mk 3 as he said he only paid 450 for the who car, i know mondeo's are cheap but i dont think you can get mk 3's for that yet,

But as above have this prob all the time when doing MOTs and they always just need a fucking good slam back and they work never had to replace a belt yet,

It is for safety reasons.

 

percybigun
THANX alot for this advice it worked a treat fixed within 2 mins after spending hours the other week trying to fix it wish I knew this when Ihad my last mondeo then I wouldn't have needed to cut the belt out

 

did the release clip-hole method work then? its a very simple quick fix innit

i know a few people who have been charged Ł300 for this at ford, not good when nobody hardly uses the centre seatbelt anyway lol

 

Great Advice, My middle belts not been working since last years MOT, due again this year next week & fixed it in 10 seconds flat by slamming the seat back.

Thanks guys

 

there is a cable that goes from the latch to the centre seat belt

so if none of the above work, you simply remove the seat cover and the foam from teh seat and manually realease it

i've got a pic somewhere, but it's on the old computer and this ones new otherwise i would have posted it up to show you whats what

 

I really wish I'd looked this up before trying to fix mine myself.

Mine had been sticking for ages, but usually thumping the back of the seat a few times would release it. However, this stopped working, so I folded the seat forward, tried all ways (except the right way) to release it, but it just got tighter and tighter to the point I could no longer fold the seat back. So I had to cut it out.

My MoT is due next month so I just ordered a belt from a breakers yard. Was a bit surprised to receive a large heavy parcel this morning - I've heard of over packaging but this was ridiculous. However, it turns out they have sent me the back of the seat with the belt still fitted Unfortunately its a different pattern to my seats otherwise I'd just fit it straight in (it also has an arm rest that mine doesn't). Still tempted to do that though - removing them is going to be a nightmare (particularly as I can't figure out how to get into the seat without cutting the material off - anyone know how to do this?).

 

it's very easy to do

the material at the back of the seat where it folds into the metal seat back is double folded in with a metal clip to retain it in place

just use a small screw driver and VERY CAREFULLY prise the material out of the metal groove



hope this quick pic explains it better

there are loads and loads of these little clips all around the frame so don't lose them and they are bloody sharp!!!!!

you should be able to strip it down so that you can get to the bolts that hold the seat belt mechanism in place fairly easily if you take your time

 

Excellent, thanks dojj, will give it a go when I get home tonight.

Super drawing by the way

 

Thanks again dojj - managed to get to the seat belt as you described.

However, the replacement I got also appeared to be jammed, even without the cable attached, so I decided to take it apart - wished I hadn't when the coil sprung out and swiped me across the face - stung a little.

After a couple of hours and many cuts to my fingers I managed to get it coiled back up, and got the seat belt unjammed, however its not returning very well so might have to do more fiddling before the MoT. It pulls out fine, and jams if I pull hard as its supposed to, but I have to keep pulling it hard before the spring seems to activate and pulls it back in a little, I then have to keep doing that until its almost fully rewound. I think I made a mistake taking it apart to be honest.

 

Took the seatbelt apart again yesterday to try and figure out why it wasn't springing back. Tried all sorts - Lithium Grease, wd40, even tried cooking the coil (it didn't seem to have any tension in it, so on my Dads advice I wound it up and held it over the hob to heat it up and "reset" it, then dipped it in cold water). Seemed to work a bit but not enough, then it snapped, so I gave up

Today I managed to pick up another one for Ł5 (though had to remove it myself from a car that was buried under another car ), fitted it in 10 minutes and now working like a dream

I think I'll stick to building websites. I wanted to be a mechanic when I was at school - probably a good job I didn't

 

Just wanted to say thanks to all you guys. My rear middle belt wasn't working and i thought i had to visit scrappers until i read all your posts and you've saved me a lot of cash! Thank god for these sites and the kind people who share info!!!
Again Thanks and i know i'll be back for more help off you : )
Lee

 

I put my seat forward (09 plate) and the seat belt locked up so tight I couldn't budge it. I was in a hurry and decided the only way was to cut the fucking thing out. What a shit design.