Questions and Answers

Mazda Seat Belts Q. Hi Vincent, I recently purchased a 1993 Mazda Protege with about 85,000 miles on it, an automatic, and the driver side seat belt motor is busted. My question is this: the dealer told me the part would cost $590 (!) not including labor, and I don't want to replace it unless it actually impacts how the seat belt works.

I have a suspicion all it does is make it so you don't have to step into the car in an awkward way to get the seat belt in front of you and I don't care about this one bit. Just to make sure it still worked, I slammed on the brakes a few times and stopped short to test it, and it seems like the seat belt restrained me just fine.

So, is it a safety issue to get this replaced? And also, in general, is it just slamming on the brakes that activates the seat belt, or does it sense when the driver moves forward too quickly and stretches the seat belt? Is there some test I should run?

I'd appreciate any tips you have for me. I certainly won't be fixing it myself, although I know that's the main thrust of your site, because I'm too inept! Thanks a lot.

Nancy

A. All that motor does is move the seat belt out of the way so a person can get in and out of the car easier and insure the seat belt is used. If the seat belt is in the upper position and locked, then it should be okay.

The mechanism that locks the seat belt in the event of an accident is located in the lower half of the seat belt assembly. It is designed to be free moving until locked in place by an inertia mechanism that locks it in an accident. Sometimes a hard yank on the seat belt will kick it in and lock. Stepping on the brake as you did will definitely lock it if it's working properly.

Additional Information provided courtesy of ALLDATA