Seatbelt (Rear retractor stuck in 97 E320)

[MBR]

The right rear seatbelt on my 1997 E320 is stuck and will not retract or pull forward and it is NOT fully extended. I have jiggled it and it wont budge. I called the MB dealership and they want to replace it, but I would rather try something else first.

1) I wanted to know if there is any trick to fixing this without taking everything apart?

2) If I need to take it apart...how do I get the interior trim, etc. off to get to the part. Is there a site to show me this somewhere?

3) Once I have the instructions to take it out, is there a place to get a reasonably priced part for this, if needed?

What a great site and thanks in advance for any help rendered here! Mark

1997 E320
1999 ML320

[Gilly]

Most repair shops are VERY careful when it comes to attempting to repair anything safety related, such as a seatbelt retractor. MB doesn't publish anything that shows a repair procedure, they recommend replacement only in case of a failure. You probably won't have much luck with attempting to repair it yourself, it's just not meant to be tampered with.
You can click on the "Fastlane" or "PartShop" icons on the top of the MercedesShop screen and see if they sell the belt reels or not.
The trim by the seatbelt it pulled outwards at the top, then it is pulled forward and up to disengage from the hat shelf. It can be tricky to engage it back into the hatshelf to reinstall the panel. The bottom seat cushion is easily removed if you want to remove the belt assembly. Once it's unbolted from the floor (under the rear seat) the belt anchor and webbing can be fed through the slot in the interior panel trim, then the interior panel can be set aside. The reel assembly can then be removed.
I don't believe the rear seat belts on this one are SRS/ETR(emergency tensioning retractors), so makes it a little easier than the later cars.
Gilly

[MBR]

Thanks Gilly! MBR