S5 Seatbelt Recall Repair
 

As there have been a couple of threads about the recall/repair of the motorized seatbelts, just thought I'd have a new thread that someone may be able to find with the search.
The following was copied from the NHTSA website:
(Year would be 1989/1991)

[/B]
Make : MAZDA Model : RX7 Year : 1989
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 96V173000 Recall Date : SEP 13, 1996
Component: SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 17800
Summary:
THE RAIL OF THE AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT CAN WEAR SUFFICIENTLY SUCH THAT THE CABLE WHICH RETRACTS THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY WILL BECOME JAMMED IN THE RAIL RENDERING THE SHOULDER BELT INOPERATIVE.
Consequence:
IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE COLLISION, THE OCCUPANT WOULD NOT BE ADEQUATELY RESTRAINED INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REPLACE INOPERATIVE SHOULDER BELTS. MAZDA HAS EXTENDED THE WARRANTY COVERAGE ON THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT RAIL AND MOTOR FOR THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE.
Notes:
OWNER NOTIFICATION: OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING OCTOBER 1996. NOTE: OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT MAZDA AT 1-800-222-5500. ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-800-424-9393.

I vote for this to be ARCHIVED!!!!! ;)


Santiago

RATE this thing a 5

hell yeeaa.

very nice.

It is archived :D

Here

I've got it written up here also...
http://fc3spro.com/TECH/PROBLEMS/INT/sbelt.htm

I also have a link to scan of the official memo that was sent out.



-Ted

I just called my dealership and asked about the recall/warranty on the seatbelts. They run my VIN number and told me my car was covered and that I just needed to bring it by so they can look at it. And it would probably require a second trip to the dealership with the car because it might take a week to order the parts.

I just went thru that a few months ago. I did have to make a second trip back. The asswhipe on the phone wanted the car for a whole day, but after some severe negatiations, I convinced him that the job should not take longer than an hour. Guess what? They were done in 30 minutes.

When I had mine done in '96 the dealership (Billco Motors in Wexford, PA) totally destroyed the A-pillar trim. In fact, it was literally hanging down partially blocking the driver's view. They actually had the balls to tell me the car was "ready to go" and handed me the keys. Needless to say they had to order all new trim and put it in for me.

I just got the car back from the dealer. While it was there, I asked the service advisor to see if my broken passenger seatbelt is part of the recall. He looked it up and told me the recall has already been performed on the car, and that it was a recall on just the cable railings, and that it's my retractor motor that broke, so the recall does not cover it.

is that even correct? or is the dealer just trying to make me pay them $400+ for a new retractor motor?!?!?!

They are wrong. Seatbelt doesn't work? Then it doesn't work. The parts that make it move and encompass its function are covered under the recall.

ok just got off phone with Mazda Customer Service, and the rep pretty much said the same thing Josepi said, everything regarding the seatbelt mechanism are covered under warranty.

goddamn service advisor grrrr, i'm gonna call him again and tell it to his face :mad:

Call the number on the recall letter. Complain. They put those shitty rodents into our cars, they better make sure that they work.

For those of you who have went to the dealer for the recall how long is this seatbelt job gonna take? My passenger side just went out.

should i take it to another dealer to get this done, or should i go back to the same dealership and make him eat his words???

EDIT: just made an appt w/ another dealership, screw arlington mazda :mad:

I had called the dealership and they told me my car was under recall and lifetime warrany for seatbelt issues and that I would need to drop my car off twice. Once for them to see what they needed to order and another time after they had the parts necessary to fix it.

Tuesday night I dropped off my car at the dealership for them to assess what all they had to order but when I got there I was told they had all the parts in stock and it would be done the following day.
Wednesday afternoon I picked up my car with seatbelts that move fast and amazingly quiet now!

funny that this came up, mine locked this morning. stupid running rats.

on another note, can the S4 stuff be retrofitted into the S5?

My mousebelt failed inbetween my friend/rotary guru's test drive and mine when I bought the car. I had run a carfax on the car and knew about the recall so i wasn't worried. The dealership took a week to schedule me an appt to even see the car, and didn't believe me that it was under recall, then told me the car "wasn't safe to drive". It took them a week and a day to order the parts and they told me the repair would take 5 hours....I'm not going back there unless I have NO other choice....

yea.. i've heard of that recall for some times now.. and just last night while fixing a s4t2.. a machanic friend of mine was talking about the recall on the rx7's seat belts.. and i was just wondering.. does the recall just cover the seat belt itself only? or the whole thing on how its really suppose to work.? i don't know if mine is dead or not.. but sometimes, when i get out of the car it just locks up. and doesn't open back (like when the doors open) as its suppose to.. but it just locks up, and for me to get out.. i either have to sit in the car for a few mins. or just close and open the door back and fourth until it lets me out(for the auto belt to roll back).. does the recall cover a thing like this, or does it not.? i was just curious, cause it is a part of the seat belt system and how its to work.. right.?!?!...

1990_whitecomet

Does this cover broken plastic trim peices due to the seatbelts getting jammed?...such as the a-pillar

probably not, as the dealer didn't replace my a-pillar trim.

bump

got my car back today from Brown's Fairfax Mazda, now both seatbelts work like they are suppose to! awesome!

and to quote CarmonColvin, the car now have seatbelts that move fast and amazingly quiet now!!!

and the best part is, it's all on Mazda's money :D :D :D thanks extended lifetime warranty!!!

How long did the job take and did they touch anything else on the car? I'm kinda reluctant to bring my car in.

Sorry, but maybe I had a hard day at work. Why would anyone with a tripple or high single digit I.Q. be worried about a dealer " touching anything else on the car". You get a guaranteed repair, the car is safer, if they break anything they fix and it did not cost you a dime. Give me a break!!!!

I have had friends who brought in their cars for dealership maintenance/repairs and things were done that were not requested (example washing the car/changing spark plugs). Maybe it doesnt seem like a big deal but if you just washed the car yourself would you want them to risk scratching up the paint or changing some expensive platinum spark plugs you just put in yourself? It's not like Mazda has a great reputation dealer service pertaining to the rotary.

It's ok I get hard days at work too haha.

FTDP

FTTP

the new retractor assembly arrived at the dealer yesterday mid-morning and by the time I called to check up on them around 4, they had it installed and ready for pickup. I didn't pick it up until today because I had to stay late at work yesterday.

I doubt they will screw up anything while replacing the retractor. However when I picked up my car, the plastic piece holding the headliner near the rear hatch window was coming off, so I told the service advisor about it right on the spot and he had one of his techs bring it back in to reinstall properly and had it ready in 20 minutes.

ok they also turned my rear view mirror sideways when they were installing, but I think I'll let that slide for now ;)

2 minor annoyances (both have been taken care of) for 2 completely operational automatic seatbelt, I think I'll take that tradeoff :D :D

Grrr I just got back from the dealer and they told me it would be ~$700 to fix it :mad: Stupid Parr Mazda!

ok i hate to bring this long dead post back, but both my seat belts don't work now. i called a mazda dealership about the recall and they said that the repair had already been done back in '99. also i called mazda and they said the same thing. now my only question is, how do i fix the problem myself? i have a service manual and it doesn't show anything on how to repair it. so i took the whole a-pillar apart and tried to find the problem. i know the motor still works cause i can hear it trying to pull the seatbelt back, but it's stuck and i can't see where the problem is happening. if anyone has any info, that would be great. i just bought the car 2 years ago and they were working fine when i bought it. PLEASE HELP!!!:wallbash:

Check this link:
http://www.rotaryresurrection.com/2n...lt_recall.html

Read it and do what it suggest and you'll get it straightened out. The recall can be done as many times as need be, it is for the LIFE of the vehicle.

Thank you!! Screenshotted and ready to take to the local dealership tomorrow. Im ready to have a nice argument if they deny fixing it.

What did you say? Not too interested in leaving my car with them for a whole day

I work for a dealer (VW not Mazda), we try and get you to drop the car off so we can address your concerns thoroughly and not be rushed. Nothing like someone pacing back and forth at the head of the service department staring at there car while you go through the concerns they brought the car in for.

probably, the recall only covers the rail and motor, the rest of the system is not covered. in theory if it is the part that is covered, then you should not be charged at all. if it is not the part that is covered, then they are right to do an inspection, although you can usually tell the seatbelt rail is bad by opening the door...

i would take it somewhere else, i think

I suggest looking into NHTSA recall guidelines/laws. If the recall is free due to legality I expect the inspection of the system must be free if it hasn't been performed already. The only way I could see paying for an inspection would be if they expect tampering with the system.

So, finally took the car to the dealer. I had contacted Mazda and they sent me an email with the letter attached. I did not take it to the dealer close to me(relatively), I took it to one near Chattanooga. The history does show the recall had been done to my car per VIN, but they checked with their rep and all seems good. The parts have to come from overseas though.
Please pray for my plastics! The Mazda rep suggested I leave them on so it didn’t look like I had messed with it. I took pictures just in case.
I will update when I get it back, it may be a couple of weeks with having to get parts shipped and my work schedule.

I would assume if any pillar plastics become broken the dealer would cover the repair or at least cover the cost for the opportunity for you to locate a used pillar/plastic.

Good luck and keep us posted!

-M

This is why i love my convertible, S5 and no seat belt issues, also 89 so i dont have to worry about those pesky airbags ... lol

From what I’ve heard you can install s4 belts into an S5. You would just need to source plastic to cover the tracks at that point or leave it there. Rather it went..

my 90’ GTU has working seat belts but the power to them is off and I leave them in the “secure” /behind driver shoulder/ position. I clip two buckles when I get into the car. A nuisance to an extent.. I just don’t wanna get caught one day with a broken sliding buckle..

You need to keep both the S5 tracks and plastics.
Why? I hear you ask.
Well...
The S5 headliner is cut narrower, so if you use S4 plastic, it won't cover and you'll have exposed metal.
Which really doesn't matter because if you remove the S5 tracks, there's nothing to mount the S4 plastic to anyway.
You can gut the S5 tracks but need to keep them installed.

Believe me, I tried but the easiest and most sanitary way to do it is to keep most of the S5 cosmetics and use S4 manual belts.

BTW, just so you know...for what seems like a pretty simple/straightforward little project, you'll end up disassembling a surprising amount of the interior.
Not just the obvious sidepanel and.a-pillar trim, but also the center console and to make life simpler, go ahead and pull the seats, too.
Or don't but you'll probably wish you had...

Finally picked her up today. Yes the A pillar was broken, but they made it good with no question. The mouse runs again!

I don't suppose they ordered an extra driver's side seatbelt rail? :lol:

I tried to get them to do the passenger side too, but it was a no go. Also, he mentioned that there were just a few kits left for drivers side, literally. He said he wondered how they could have a lifetime recall, and only have 4 left in stock, one of which he had ordered for my car. Here's hoping they produce them in batches, and that number will change. I'd say maybe the passenger side kit can be adapted, but it's probably the drivers kit for the RHD cars, and used up as well.

^The RHD countries where the FC was sold didn't have the same idiotic passive seat belt regulations that we had in the US at that time, so Mazda didn't bother to put motor mouse belts in those, or in any other non-US LHD country either.

Ah, that didn’t occur to me. Well then, maybe there is a decent amount of passenger side kits, and they can modified for the driver side.

Since this was up near the top, I figured I'd include my dealership experience when having my belts replaced on my old S5 just a couple years ago.
At the time, I was aware of the recall. When I finally needed it to be done, I drove my car to the dealer, Gem Mazda in Tallahassee FL. I brought the printed NHTSA documents and specifically asked if my car was covered. The service advisor lady was very rude to me and said that it was not covered because it had been done once in 1997, and that I would need to pay for the parts and the five hours to do the job, and leave the car there for a day (at the time, approaching 500whp, not about to leave the car there), and that it would cost around $2000. I explained that the documents from the NHTSA and Mazda NA stated the recall was good "for the life of the vehicle", and that my car was clearly alive and well. It also worked in my favor that I already knew that THE MOTOR AND CABLE TRACK ARE AN ASSEMBLY, NOT SEPARATE PARTS, AND THEY GET REPLACED AS SUCH. The SA still argued with me, and insisted that I leave the car for a few days. I walked her.outside and showed her what the problem was (sticking and chattering on both sides), and explained that that was the reason for the recall in the first place. She still said no go.
***At this point, it is important to know that I too was absolutely fuming from their idiocy, and it took everything I had to keep my cool, but again, I just followed the directions IN THE RECALL notice, and called Mazda NA. A 5 minute phone call and a 5 minute wait in the service department afterwards, and the phone rang at the SA's desk, it was Mazda NA saying my parts were on the way and to schedule my appointment for the repair. I too was told that it would take five hours and I would have to pay for an inspection. I told them that's not what Mazda NA told me, and I would do no such thing. I logged into AllData on the shop's account I was working for at the time and found a time for the seatbelt track assemblies at (1.4hr), and said that it needed to be done in that time, and I would be waiting for it. I continued to receive the heat from the SA. She said none of my interior plastic was covered if damaged, and the vehicle "would need to be extensively test driven after the repair", which was clearly not true. I left still angry, and brought the car back for my appointment (the following day, thanks Mazda NA!) with all of the pertinent interior plastics already removed. When I got there, I simply unplugged and removed my Haltech so they couldn't test drive the car. Belt swap was done in 40 mins and I was just tickled to watch them push my car into the service bay and back out when it was done, after all the shit the SA said to me. $0 and I was on my way. The moral of the story is at least try not to seem like you're mad. They will make you mad, but DO NOT listen to them or take their shit. If they tell you anything other than something like "it's free, it's covered, parts take a few days to get here, when can you come back," just call Mazda NA. Don't let the dealers yank you around, or they will continue to do so to others. Stand your ground and Mazda NA will do a good job at making sure they fix your belts. The guy I spoke to at Mazda NA said that they had a small, dedicated group of people who's jobs ONLY involve dealing with RX7 owners pertaining to this recall, and dealing with the dealerships in response. Just my $0.02

I believe you but not your source at Mazda.
Mazda is barely keeping it's head above water and the idea that they have allocated labor specifically to a 30 year old car and it's recall issues strikes me as far fetched.
They may have a guy who deals with the dealerships when they call and he may be familiar with their shenanigans, but I'll bet he does all sorts of other things as well.

the reason the S5 recall is difficult is because it is one of those Mazda things where you just have to know about it. for a warranty repair, or recall, you run a warranty history report, and it, in every other instance, tells you if the car is eligible for the repair, and if its been done. so this is the only repair (i'm aware of), that you run the report and then ignore it.

i do not think its very fair to expect a person to remember the one exception for a really old, and rare car, according to procedure it looks like the recall has been done and that would be that, they really do need to call Mazda...

there are a bunch of other things like that, its how Mazda separates the n00bs from the nobs...