Seatbelt does not latch into seatbelt buckle on driver side

Mr. X

Member
Hello,

This morning I noticed my seatbelt does not latch onto my seatbelt buckle on the driver's side. I can hear the belt click into the latch but the latch does not grasp onto the belt. What could be causing this?

Is this a simple repair to fix, and if so, can someone give me instructions on how to do this? Hopefully I can do this by myself rather than taking it to a shop to get this fixed.

Thanks!
 
It's probably shot. Go ahead and get yourself a new one - it'll be worth it since it's a safety device. Should run you ~$42 shipped at www.onlinemazdaparts.com
 
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you could try shooting some lube (WD-40, Tri-Flow) into the latch. Maybe is it just gummed up.
 
Mine did that a while back. I kept trying it and it suddenly went in. BUT... the seatbelt light stayed on and is still on. I have no idea how to make it turn off.
 
Hank3,

I tried to look for the part on the site you recommended but could not find it. I even did a search for "seatbelt" and "seatbelt buckle" but no resuts were displayed. I'll try some WD-40 this weekend.

CarolinaP5, I see your are based in Charlotte. So am I! Maybe we could meet up sometime. It would be great to meet another P5 driver (I love my P5!).
 
Mine did that a while back. I kept trying it and it suddenly went in. BUT... the seatbelt light stayed on and is still on. I have no idea how to make it turn off.

Mine does this exact thing periodically, typically on nights when I'm delivering pizza and taking the seat belt on and off repeatedly. My light eventually goes off though.
 
This weekend I spayed some WD40 into the belt buckle. Unfortunately, the belt did not latch into the buckle. Does anyone else have any other recommendations? Would it be easier for me to get this changed at a mechanic rather than do it myself? And if so, how much do you think this would cost?

Thanks!
 
It's pretty easy to replace the part. You have to undo the four bolts securing the seat to the floorboard; take the seat out and then replace the part. I would email or contact Jason at onlinemazdaparts and see if he can get the part for you. I had to order it for my wife's car a couple of years ago from them.
 
My neighbor had a P5 that was doing this exact same thing recently...we replaced it easily, but he hit a deer and totalled the car just a few days later (sucks as he was going to buy some parts from me haha)...

His was not latching, and the light was staying on permanently...to those of you with that problem, all we did was unclipped the connection under the set...That makes the light never come on, and the dash chime will not sound when the car is started without the drivers seat belt buckled...no problem after he got the part though...He just bought it through the dealer, not sure what he paid...but it worked find and only took about 30 minutes total...you have to unclip the plastic shroud on the right side of the seat once its out of the car (would be very difficult to do with it still mounted inside the car)...then the buckle pivots on a 14mm bolt iirc...his included a new bolt and some crush washers (so its tight, but still can pivot)...

oh and his buckle came with the lead for that connection...you have to feed it under the seat to reconnect to the other end. So his situation didn't involve taking his original buckle apart to get that wiring...
 
Thanks! I called onlinemazdaparts and will order the part right away. I hope to change it this weekend. If anyone has any pics on how to change the belt buckle, that would help too!
 
Same thing happened to me this week. Went to the garage to leave for work, and the seat belt didn't click into the latch. Thanks. I'm trying to source a driver's-side latch now.
 
When ordering from onlinemazdaparts is the drivers side listed as LEFT or RIGHT?
 
i just went thru this on my p5 it turns out the inner part of the latch is plastic and prone to breaking luckily for me there was a nice crashed p5 in the local junk yard and i bought the seat belt latch and all is well.. its very easy to change u have to remove the 4 bolts that hold the seat in place its a 17 mm iirc then u have 1 philips screw on the side plastic then a 14mm bolt i just pulled the plastic to the side to get to the bolt u also have to undo the clips underneath that hold the wire in place so u can pull it out and run the new wire in then reinstall everything and ur dun P.s i would think the seat belt from a reg protege would be the same since p5's arent all that common in the junk yard
 
Same thing happened to mine a few years ago... called dealer, they had the replacement cheap... I want to say it was $25. Dont quote me on that. It was a few years ago.
 
This weekend I spayed some WD40 into the belt buckle. Unfortunately, the belt did not latch into the buckle. Does anyone else have any other recommendations? Would it be easier for me to get this changed at a mechanic rather than do it myself? And if so, how much do you think this would cost?

Thanks!
Yes, it is easier for you to get it changed.
1. seat removal. There will be plastic covers over the seat bolts. Pop them out with a screwdriver. Slide seat back and then remove the front two bolts. Silde the seat forward and then remove the back two bolts.
2. unplug the seat belt sensor socket.
3. remove the seat from the car
4. remove old seat belt buckle, see whatusername post
5. put in new seat belt buckle
6. put seat back into car.
7. plug in seat belt sensor.
8. seat install. position seat bracket over holes and put rear bolts back in. Slide the seat back. put front bolts back in. Replace seat bolt plastic caps.
 
Happened to me as well, replacement took about 15 minutes. It's a safety item, so spend the money to get a brand new one.
 
Bump from the graveyard for my input...

The driver's side seatbelt receiver was sticking in my Protege so I took it apart to fix it. The receiver is (probably intentionally) not designed to be taken apart and put back together. The two plastic halves of the cover are bonded together. They can be separated with a flathead screwdriver, but this does break the bond between the two halves. While they stick together ok for now after reassembly, they will have to be glued together. The latching mechanism needed to be lubricated and works fine now. However, I would not do this again for liability reasons, though I'm certain the repair was done correctly and the receiver is perfectly safe to use.

If I had to do it again, I would try 1) spraying silicone lubricant into the receiver or 2) replacing the receiver with a new unit from onlinemazdaparts.com.
 
My neighbor had a P5 that was doing this exact same thing recently...we replaced it easily, but he hit a deer and totalled the car just a few days later (sucks as he was going to buy some parts from me haha)...

never a good time to hit a deer, but after you fix your seatbelt is definitely better than before...
 
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