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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Maintenance and Repair / December 2006Do Seatbelts Wear Out with Age?
I have a 86 Toyota Corolla SR5. I am curious if the seatbelts should be tested by a pro to ensure that they're still functional - so I don't have to find out the hard way if they still work? I am wondering if, over time, seatbelts decline, mechanisms get sticky, or something of that nature. >I have a 86 Toyota Corolla SR5. I am curious if the seatbelts should be >tested by a pro to ensure that they're still functional - so I don't have >to find out the hard way if they still work? > > I am wondering if, over time, seatbelts decline, mechanisms get sticky, or > something of that nature. I dont guess it is something I worry about a lot. Maybe I should. Examine the fabric of the belt for cuts and physical wear. Make sure the buckles latch positively. The old belt systems did not often have automatic adjusters so there was not much more to check, so long as the anchor points for the belts were not rusting out. With adjusters, you can jerk on the belt to see if the adjusting side will catch under conditions similar to a crash. If they catch, then I would feel okay about using the car. If you want to take it to a mechanic, he will likely do a similar checkout and will be glad to help you. He has to pay for Christmas too. >I have a 86 Toyota Corolla SR5. I am curious if the seatbelts should be >tested by a pro to ensure that they're still functional - so I don't have to >find out the hard way if they still work? They should be. You can be that pro. Grab the belt firmly, and pull it down. Does it lock into place? Try it on a new car and see about how much speed and force it's supposed to take to make it lock. >I am wondering if, over time, seatbelts decline, mechanisms get sticky, or >something of that nature. Stuff goes wrong. Pull on the belt every now and then to make sure it hasn't. --scott  Signature"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." Buck Turgidson <jc_va@hotmail.com> wrote in article <1lpeh.139385$2t1.82796@newsfe18.lga>... > I have a 86 Toyota Corolla SR5. I am curious if the seatbelts should be > tested by a pro to ensure that they're still functional - so I don't have to > find out the hard way if they still work? > > I am wondering if, over time, seatbelts decline, mechanisms get sticky, or > something of that nature. I would be more concerned about the deterioration of the nylon in the belt webbing after ten years of sitting in the car baking in the heat, and being attacked by sunlight. Most racing organizations in the USA have a maximum age for seat belts allowed in competition - usually about five years. Anything with a manufacturing date before 2002 - for example - was not allowed in actual competition in 2006. Racing belts have manufactured dates on their labels, and NASCAR has actually fined a couple of Nextel Cup crew chiefs for installing belts without the tags attached. This has nothing to do with lock-up mechanisms or centrifugal devices since racing seat belts are attached directly to the chassis. > Buck Turgidson <jc_va@hotmail.com> wrote in article > <1lpeh.139385$2t1.82796@newsfe18.lga>... [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Most racing organizations in the USA have a maximum age for seat belts > allowed in competition - usually about five years. Exactly right. The UV that comes through the windows attacks the nylon webbing, weakening it. On our aircraft we have to replace them every ten years. There are shops certified to do this, and you could get them redone at one of them. Some auto upholstery shops will also do them, but I would imagine that many others would be leery of it from a liability standpoint. The aircraft shops are certified (and protected by insurance and so on) and also use testing equipment to make sure they'll stand up to spec, which I think is around 20 Gs. Dan A replacement shoulder lap belt for a Nissan costs $280 each. Can only get from dealer so they screw you on price. Should sell at cost as a public service. probably doesnt cost over $40 to make > Buck Turgidson <jc_va@hotmail.com> wrote in article > <1lpeh.139385$2t1.82796@newsfe18.lga>... [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > racing seat belts are attached directly to the chassis. > I'm actually surprised about this... I can drive a 1965 Chevy on the street with original lapbelts... I can't imagine the webbing would do much more than shred after 42 years... And how come insurance companies don't (or aren't forced to) replace seat belts in car accidents? And yeah, my race car now has to have new belts every three years, and the rules in my buddy's class say every TWO years. (which was all done for insurance purposes...) But, you're not allowed to do anything with your original seatbelts - I'm not even sure if it's legal to reweb or replace the OEM belts. I believe in Canada race belts are illegal on the street - period. Ray > I'm actually surprised about this... I can drive a 1965 Chevy on the > street with original lapbelts... I can't imagine the webbing would do much > more than shred after 42 years... While it is true that seatbelt material can degrade with time with UV light, ozone, acids or alkalis,etc, it is not likely to do so in ordinary passenger car applications to the extent that it will present an unusual risk. If you are familiar with risk analysis,you can calculate how low this danger really is. Aircraft and racing cars are understandably more strictly regulated. If you see cuts or shredding on a seatbelt, common sense would tell you that you are using a device which can fail if pushed to the limit. >> I'm actually surprised about this... I can drive a 1965 Chevy on the >> street with original lapbelts... I can't imagine the webbing would do much [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > If you are familiar with risk analysis,you can calculate how low this danger > really is. I'm assuming most passenger cars last about 10 years or less, so the number of cars on the road with 30 year old seat belts is pretty low. I wish they'd allow me to install race belts in a street car, but that's illegal - I understand why, but it still sucks. (why is it illegal? Because the local "safety" guy can't guarantee my seatbelts are installed properly and/or the quality of the welding for the brackets etc...) Oh, and why replace the belts in a street car? Wife's car is a 90 beretta with those stupid door mounted belts that after 17 years don't ratchet properly all the time. It's illegal for me to do anything but replace them with another crappy set from the junkyard. Ray >Oh, and why replace the belts in a street car? Wife's car is a 90 >beretta with those stupid door mounted belts that after 17 years don't >ratchet properly all the time. It's illegal for me to do anything but >replace them with another crappy set from the junkyard. Squirt a little SuperLube in there and see if that frees up the gunked up ratchet mechanism. This may be illegal in some states, as tampering with safety equipment, but I'd rather do something illegal than be unsafe if it's my own vehicle. --scott Signature"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." >> Oh, and why replace the belts in a street car? Wife's car is a 90 >> beretta with those stupid door mounted belts that after 17 years don't [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > but I'd rather do something illegal than be unsafe if it's my own vehicle. > --scott The mechanism isn't gunked up so much as it is just f*cked up. High mileage... and sometimes jams when you try to unwind it. I don't think superlube or wd40 will help - I'm pretty sure it's just wore out. Doesn't bug me much, but I occasionally wonder if they would work properly in an accident. Damn door mounted belts aren't a tight fit for me anyway. Wish I could legally put my old race belts in there... >>Oh, and why replace the belts in a street car? Wife's car is a 90 >>beretta with those stupid door mounted belts that after 17 years don't [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > but I'd rather do something illegal than be unsafe if it's my own vehicle. > --scott Heck, if I felt I needed to replace them, I would go to Pick a Part, and replace them myself, and never say a word about it...to heck with the burocrats On 12/15/06 2:32 PM, in article hDDgh.6016$Gr2.4525@newssvr21.news.prodigy.net, "hls" <hls@nospam.nix> wrote: >>> Oh, and why replace the belts in a street car? Wife's car is a 90 >>> beretta with those stupid door mounted belts that after 17 years don't [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > replace them myself, > and never say a word about it...to heck with the burocrats I vaguely remember that those door mounted automatic seatbelts were guaranteed for ever on most cars that had them. You might want to make a call to the dealer & check. >snip< And how come insurance companies don't (or aren't forced to) replace seat belts in car accidents? >unsnip< That's a damn good question! I never really thought of that, until Ray brought it up. I've never seen or heard of the belts being replaced in a car after an accident. And presuming they were in use at the time of an accident, they could [I'm stretching a bit here, granted] be damaged themselves from the force of impact by the person's body. Interesting question. SignatureKnifeblade_03 http://www.automotiveforums.com |
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