Why do seatbelts lock?

Question

When you are buckling your seatbelt and pull it out far it locks. It'll only go shorter and shorter and you must unbuckle the entire thing to loosen it. What is the purpose of locking seat belts at a certain length? To me it's just annoying.

cgriffin1972 · Accepted Answer

It is a safety latch that is doing it's job.

 If you wreck the car the belt stops preventing you from hitting the dash or going through the windshield.

 Try this test to make sure they work:
Get in the car and start it, 

Put your foot on the brake, and put the seatbelt on -

Now yank on the shoulder part real hard if it doesn't stop immediatly you should get it replaced.

? · Answer

Seat Belt Locks Up

JT B ford man · Answer

Its a safety feature on the belts , When a person puts there baby's car seat in they have to pull the seat belts out all the way to lock it , Now if you had a elderly person in the car and couldn't sit up good that is where the lock comes in to play , hope you understand .

hakim1125 · Answer

Whe the brakes hit, the belt locks so you don't go flying out of the windsheild. When you pull out the belt too fast, the belt locks because it is a saftey feature.

gdwrnch40 · Answer

If it is doing this while the car is motionless,then the angle of the retract mechanism is not right.It has an inertia lock mechanism that has to be set on the right angle to be affective.The car could have been wrecked preiviously to cause the wrong alignment or it is worn.

volcom girl. · Answer

That only happens when the car has it's breaks on. Because say if you were about to get in an accident you slam on your breaks and it keeps the others who are wearing their seatbelts from being thrown from the car

Beto · Answer

I have a 2007 dodge charger. I was putting in my kids booster seats and my seatbelts wont lock. They only lock when I slam on the brakes. What do I do?

Anonymous · Answer

Its Just for Safety. Its so you don't hit your Head on Dash Board if you stop Very Short. 

P.S:    Some times Airbags don't Always work.

lj1 · Answer

That is a built-in mechanism to protect you in collision. They will also lock if they are pulled out too quickly.

Anonymous · Answer

WITHDRAW THE SEAT BELT TO REMOVE EXCESS SLACK, ALMOST INSTANTLY, IN A CRASH. HOWEVER, YOU STILL NEED TO ADJUST YOUR SEAT BELT AS SNUGLY AS POSSIBLE, SINCE PRETENSIONERS ARE NOT POWERFUL ENOUGH TO PULL YOU BACK INTO YOUR SEAT. LIKE AIR BAGS, PRETENSIONERS TOO CAN BE USED ONLY ONCE AND NEED TO BE REPLACED AFTER A CRASH.

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Why do seatbelts lock?

12 Answers