Do my seatbelts work ?

[barthmonster]

Okay, the 'jo-amatuer' test for seatbelts on my 2009 Camry & 2007 Tundra goes like this. You grab the shoulder harness while driving and jerk it away from your body quickly and you feel it 'lock-up' simulating saving your butt in a wreck...

My '91 Corolla doesn't do this it's loose and sloppy when 'jerked'. I called the dealer to ask if that's okay or not and he only said that the retractors if the car even has retractors aren't as sensetive on a 20-year old car...

Okay, there has to be retractors or something 'like' retractors, this isn't China and the seatbelts in '91 weren't just for looks. Was my amatuer 'test' not valid for a '91 ? Will the seatbelts work as designed (lockup somehow) ? Or has so much soda been spilt and dust settled that the stuff just isn't working anymore... LOL.

Signed: Concerned because I have a teenager and there's no airbags in this old putt-putt....

[Zembonez]

Seat belts have become more sophisticated as time has passed. New "smart" belts react quicker. The old belts used a simple weighted pendulum arm in the retractor to lock up the belt. When the car was quickly decelerating, the arm moved forward, and the belt locked. You could normally make them engage by running up to say 25 mph in a parking lot and standing on the brakes...

[Flashmn]

IIRC my corolla belts didnt lock when you pulled hard (not sure if they did), but they'd lock during braking. But really dont expect an AE92 belts to save your life in a crash, heck the body is already aged too... I put a rollcage, some semi buckets and a 3pt harness into my car

[ELUSIV Rolla]

I just went and gave my front belts a tug also (1990) they lock up with a lil bit of force. Not too much, a quick jerk does it. Replace them if you're worried. My 2 cents.

[SuperRA]

I tried mines out and they do not lock with a quick tug. They do however lock during a panic stop. 1991 Sedan

[Ghostyman]

I replaced my driver side seatbelt about a year ago because the retractor didn't work at all. They should lock up with a quick jerk. It has to be pretty sudden but it works every time in my Corolla. If it doesn't lock up, either the seatbelt doesn't work or you aren't pulling fast enough. As I recall, these have a small metal ball that jiggles around and locks the belt when pulled quickly.