04 EB - 2nd Row Middle Seat Belt

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JonnyP

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Hi folks..
As per the title, I have an 04 Expedition Eddie Bauer and the seat belt center/middle seat in the 2nd row is stuck.
What do I mean by stuck? I mean it's fully retracted and will not come out at all. When I bought it, it came out. When I got my inspection sticker in MA 2 days after buying it, it was stuck and failed, two days later it came out and was moving like butter. Since then (coming up on 1 year) it hasn't moved.

It's the style that is built into the center seat. (see attached image [not mine...found on ebay])
It's pretty tight, there is hardly any slack for me to grab onto to try to push and pull the seatbelt from the top (it's built into the seat).I've tried folding and unfolding the seats a few time (that's another challenge.. it gets stuck folded sometimes) but it won't budge.
sxlyCxI.jpg

In MA any seat belts in the vehicle must work so next time I go for inspection this will need to work or I'll fail (or I remove it from truck?) but I would like to have a functioning seat belt.

Anyone have any tips on getting it unstuck? Or any known guides on disassembling this seat to access the belt mechanism?

Thanks in advance
 

Adieu

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Dunno if still relevant, but here goes:

Top piece of plastic pries off with a vinyl prybar, but probably won't get you anywhere unless there's something wedged up there in plain sight....

20190917_042025.jpg actually getting at the entire seatbelt retractor (usually what jams) would involve removing the seat from the truck and removing the seat cover from the foam on the top cushion

Doing similar stuff on a 3rd gen which has the same basic seat design (I'm cleaning mold off the belt and trying to restore the folding mechanism as well as changing the covers though), and here's what it's like inside:

20190917_042037.jpg
 

Adieu

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PS for inspection purposes, I'd be tempted to just remove the seat for a day
 
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JonnyP

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Whoa. Wasn't expecting a reply of any kind after all of this time. Thank you Adieu.

I'm heading back in for my inspection by end of this month and I'm planning to just keep the seat folded down. If they make any mention of it, I'll take the seat out and go back afterwards.

I've been poking around some used parts sites looking for the seat to pop up in the same trim/color and one did show up recently about an hour away from me. That's another option, I just don't want to part with $125 if I don't have to :)
 

Adieu

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If you can get it unjammed at all even part of the time, getting the belt clean MAY do the trick (if not... back to disassembling the retractor)

Btw with uncooperative belts, have a clamp on hand or large hemostat on hand to clamp off any length you managed to coax out
 

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