I have a 2005 MCS and the passenger side belt is messed up. It locks when it is pulled out, making it impossible for the passenger to lean forward, etc. and the thingy inside makes a loud noise when retracted.

It is really irritating because I've been buckling my cat carrier in (with my cat in it - she has a bladder infection and for the last 3 days I've had to take her to the vet) and it is hard to get the carrier buckled in with the belt like that.

I noticed it too when I rode in the passenger seat once when my SO drove...it locked me in immediately and prevented me from fiddling with the radio controls or even get my sunglasses out of the glovebox...I'm pretty sure it isn't supposed to act like that, and the driver's side belt is normal.

Can I easily fix this myself? Car's out of warranty. I don't have much mechanical experience so if it is too complicated I guess I'll have to bring it to the dealer...

 

I've had that happen on my 05 MCSa on numerous occasions. Generally I can fiddle with the belt by tugging and releasing the belt a little and it loosens up but the first time it happened I had to take the rear seat out so that I could open up the side panel behind the door to get to the retractor mechanism because the belt had twisted and the twist was down by the retractor. The seat belt had twisted when it retracted and had bound up. Once I got it straightened out everything worked fine. If memory serves me correctly, I had to remove the little storage try on in the side of the rear seat to gain access (a couple of screws in the bottom as I recall). I did not have to remove the mechanism to straighten out the belt. There are a number of warnings in both the Haynes and Bentley manuals about the seat belt tensioner containing a small explosive charge (pyrothechnic device) that can be set off if you don't use the proper technique for removing the seat belt tensioning device. Both Haynes and Bentley manuals have diagrams and instructions for dealing with the seat belts but not a lot of information on how to get to the mechanisms.

 

Thanks! Looks like I'll need to get a manual. Does the rear seat come out easily? I've never removed it. I do think it is twisted...there seems to be something odd about it.

 

The seat comes out, and goes back in very easily. Just pull up in the center of the front of it. It's held in with some clips an pops right back in.

A twist in the belt is a good possibility. According to the Bentley manual the automatic reel being loose could also cause that to happen as well as causing a problem retracting the belt and creating some squeaking sounds. You still have to get in there to fix those except the fix is to tighten the reel mounting bolt. The torque for that bolt is listed 21 ft/lbs - roughly what you'd use on a spark plug. They also say to use loctite 270 on it.

As far as manuals go, the Haynes manual is not as detailed but has some good suggestions in it while the Bentley manual is much more complete but considerably more expensive. I don't recall what I paid for the Haynes manual but I got my copy of the Bentley manual from tower.com for $75.47 about 6 months ago. That was the best price I was able to find at the time. You might want to see if another MINI owner in your area has a copy to borrow or look at. Sota MINIs comes to mind since they are the closest club to Hudson.

 

Seat belts are one of those things that are usually always under warranty. I know my folks' 89 Volvo had a seat belt mechanism replaced a couple years ago, under warranty. And it wasn't one of those universal warranties that you can just buy. The dealer replaced it. I would imagine that sort of thing would leave automakers liable if someone died as a result of that malfuction.