Seat belt locked after accident

[spddmn012]

After an accident, the driver seat belt is totally locked up and the air bag warning is illuminated (though it didn't deploy). I've done some light reading and it appears the pretensioners may have been deployed. Is the seatbelt useless now? Can/should it be fixed?

I've looked for replacement seat belts online but haven't found anything (with the exception of ebay) which concerns me a bit. If they can't be fixed, is it best to call the dealership and have them replace it? *shivers*

[chain_slappins4]

I've never heard of 1 time use seat belts before.... must be a German thing

Sent from the S4 with a Tap!!!

[ENV²]

This happened in my Maxima back in the day. Had an accident, airbags deployed, and seatbelt got stuck. I had to replace the belts with new ones IIRC. I found mine used I think from junked Maxima.

[924Carrera]

Yeah, the pretensioners fire their charge and that's it. You can probably find a used seatbelt for a reasonable price, and the airbag warning can be reset using VCDS (I think the modules are good for 3 resets before a new/used module is required).

[chain_slappins4]

Yeah, the pretensioners fire their charge and that's it. You can probably find a used seatbelt for a reasonable price, and the airbag warning can be reset using VCDS (I think the modules are good for 3 resets before a new/used module is required).

Are you guys shittin me?? I was only kidding when I said the belts were single use ... what kinda German backwards engineering crap is that?.....

Sent from the S4 with a Tap!!!

[924Carrera]

Are you guys shittin me?? I was only kidding when I said the belts were single use ... what kinda German backwards engineering crap is that?.....

Sent from the S4 with a Tap!!!

The Germans aren't the only ones using pretensioners. In fact, pretty much all modern cars have this feature....the idea being, your life is generally worth more than a seatbelt, and any collision at a high enough speed to fire them will probably total the car.

[Silver Streakin]

Lots of people parting out cars. Check the classifieds.

[Malv1]

Are you guys shittin me?? I was only kidding when I said the belts were single use ... what kinda German backwards engineering crap is that?.....

Sent from the S4 with a Tap!!!

Common place in the industry. If you have a pretensioner in the seatbelt, you only get one shot at it and then it's done. Didn't your insurance company cover the repair?

[spddmn012]

They wanted to total it for cosmetic damage. They gave me a check and the car back and it's not salvaged so I'm doing work myself.

[oscarrico12]

Hey,

Did you happen to find a solution to your problem? I am having the same issue with my 2015 a3. All of my seat belts are locked and everywhere I looked it said that they need to be replaced and that is 1k fixture, but if it needs to be done, it needs to be done. I have seen websites that say they repair triggered seat belts, but is that even possible?

[spddmn012]

I am taking it to Audi to have it done. Being that it's for safety, I'd rather have new parts and professional services do it.

[Bonz099]

Not only do most cars have pre tensioners, but most seat belts are attached in a fashion so they can "peel" away from the car, like opening a can. This helps slow down the disbursement of energy during a crash and slow the body down in a more controlled fashion. The pretensioner does exactly what it sounds like. It does this to lower the amount of slack in the belt to keep your body more restrained.

Nobody designs a car to be crashed more than once....