Seat Belt Slide Mechanism Not Working

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by pauly99, Apr 25, 2016.

Tags:
  1. pauly99

    pauly99 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 23, 2016
    37
    10
    0
    Location:
    Montgomery
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Ok. So I purchased my 2009 Prius on Saturday (4/23/2016). Couldn't be happier. I have a couple of things that I need to get to right away including a very small crack on the front windshield and the slide mechanism on the drivers side. I am a small guy and the seat belt currently goes across my lower neck (not a good thing). Now the passenger side will allow for the adjustment of the seatbelt height by sliding up and down but the drivers side won't budge. The seat belt itself works fine, just not the adjustment for changing the height. I'm a DIY kinda guy so I don't mind taking care of this myself but I don't know where to begin. Can anyone point me in the right direction for some tips/hints?
     
    #1 pauly99, Apr 25, 2016
  2. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2009
    993
    326
    0
    Location:
    Golden, CO
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    This page shows some of the parts. I would start by pulling roof and lower center pillar trim panels, then the belt adjuster cover, then take a look at the adjuster. If you have side curtain airbags, be careful. Welcome to the site and good luck.
     
    #2 andrewclaus, Apr 25, 2016
  3. pauly99

    pauly99 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 23, 2016
    37
    10
    0
    Location:
    Montgomery
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Thanks for the answer Andrew. The side curtain airbags look to be by the windshield if the airbags go by the labeling, so they shouldn't be in the way. This looks to be a weekend project (very doable) as I don't want to compromise the seat belt when driving to work during the week.
     
    #3 pauly99, Apr 25, 2016
  4. Eastside

    Eastside Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    129
    82
    0
    Location:
    NorthVirginia
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    .
    pauly99,
    .
    The Toyota repair manual, section SB for seatbelt, has serious warnings for the front seat belts.
    . . . Doesn't the driver's side seatbelt retract and tighten up automatically, as in explosively, in an accident . . . There are YouTube videos showing the seat belt pretensioner exploding.
    .
    Read that section of the repair manual , imo. . . .
    . . . example warning for one of the steps:
    - " ... stand at least 10 m (33 ft.) away from the front seat outer belt. ...'
    - " ... The seat belt pretensioner produces a loud, exploding sound when it activates ...."
    .
    Maybe consult with a Toyota service department. Sounds more like bomb disposal than a simple DIY weekend project.
     
    #4 Eastside, Apr 25, 2016
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2016
  5. pauly99

    pauly99 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 23, 2016
    37
    10
    0
    Location:
    Montgomery
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I'm hoping not to deal with the seat belt pretensioner at all. The seat belt itself works fine. Just not the sliding mechanism to adjust the height.
     
    #5 pauly99, Apr 26, 2016
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)