1990 Civic Seatbelt Problem

On my 1990 Civic LX 4-dr, my seatbelt (driver side) has ½ stopped working.
I say half because it will go one way, but not the other. It will disengage
when I open the door or turn off the car and remove the key from the
ignition, but when I close the door and start the car, it doesn't move. The
dash light flashes and I hear the constant beeping, so I assume the "sensor"
that detects the seatbelt's location is working properly. I've had to force
the seatbelt back to the "engaged" position and unplug the motor to keep my
sanity. My question is: Is this problem with the actual motor, or
something else? I managed to get a new motor for only $10, but before I go
to the aggravation of changing it, I would like a few second opinions. The
fact that it will go one way but not the other is what has me confused.

Thanx in advance!

Jonathan

 

before you do anything, Honda's have a lifetime warranty on
seatbelt issues. See a dealer (as painfull as that sounds).

"alot is not a word"
Uncle Mike

 

This is good advice. I second it.

 

not to offend the poster, but dont bother with the dealer...
he'll tell you the warranty applies on the seatbelt itself and not the motor
& any other mechanism aside the belt
Basically even if the seatbelt itself is torn, he'll still try to annoy you
by blaming it on you & saying you cut it... but at least then you have a
shot.

Another thing he may pull, is say "the parts are covered but the labor is
not"... which is basically the same thing as saying "you'll pay the full
price".

silly, I know, but thats the way it is....

 

This is not entirely correct. Honda issued a recall for the '88-91 Civic
that covered the seat belt's latching mechanism. Clearly, this recall did
not involve the actual belt.

 

So, if it is a recall, could the dealer still bill me for labor? I haven't
touched anything yet aside from unplugging the motor, but I can easily plug
that back up before I take it to a dealer. Would the fact that my car has a
salvage title have any bearing on the recall / warranty? (Of course, I
wouldn't volunteer that information, but I was wondering just in case they
looked up the VIN for that type of information before doing any work)
Obviously, I don't have a lot of money to burn right now.

Thanx again,

Jonathan

 

If I remember correctly, the recall was only for the latching mechanism. It
seems that the red plastic insert on one of the brands of latches that was
used would crack and break apart. This would leave small bits of plastic
down in the latch which would prevent it from functioning correctly. For
example, I believe that there was mention of the seat belt potentially not
restraining the driver/passenger in the event of a collision. Honda issued
a service bulletin for this recall though I don't have the specific
information at this time.

You may want to call an independent Honda shop as well as a Honda dealer in
your area to get an estimate on the repairs and to see if Honda will cover
it under warranty.

Eric