Avalon Seat Belt Broken Wire and More

[SeatBeltQuestion]

I was replacing the rear door on a 2001 Avalon and removed the front driver side seat belt from the bottom of the car in the door frame to get to the nuts that hold the rear door to the frame. The front seat belt wound up too far while I was making the door repair. Also, the wire connector on the seat belt mechanism broke. Now the seat belt won't unwind. Do the two wires have to be connected to the seat belt mechanism to allow it to unwind? Are these wires simply used to indicate when the seat belt is latched or is there another safety purpose? Is the seat belt ruined and permanently locked or stuck? Is there a way to release the seat belt mechanism to allow the seat belt to unwind far enough to reinstall it and then further to allow for proper use?

[BiXLL]

can't help, but subscribing to see what the answer is

[SeatBeltQuestion]

The restricted unwinding is a safety feature --- The seat belt mechanism will not allow the belt to unwind unless it is at the proper angle and orientation that is established by the position the mechanism is in when it is properly bolted into the car while the car is resting upright on all four wheels. I examined the mounting area in the Avalon and in the air I tilted the mechanism into the proper angle to replicate the proper mounting angle in order to release the belt and provide the slack I needed to mount the mechanism in the car. The mechanism is now properly mounted and the seat belt functions properly.

The two wires with the yellow connecter are safety feature --- When the vehicle is in an accident the Avalon electronically engages the seat belt retractor mechanism to prevent belt from feeding out. If these wires are not properly connected the airbag light on the dash board will be illuminated. I was able to repair the connector and properly connect the wires. This turned off the airbag light on the dashboard.

[BiXLL]

nice job, where did you get the info?