[RustyBolt]

2012 Escape

The drivers seat belt looks new. It is not frayed, stained, or discolored.

A few days ago the seat belt failed to retract. If I gently pull or guide the upper portion
of the belt it does retract. The retractor might be restored to normal function if lubricated.

Prying off the trim panel covering the retractor may not be necessary. An old Escape
Forum post mentioned a lubricant called Jig-A-Loo. It's synthetic, odorless, and does not
stain fabrics. Applying Jig-A-Loo to the seat belt fixed the retractor problem.

Jig-A-Loo is not available in any local store near my home. It is available from Amazon
for $28.99. I've never paid that much for a can of lubricant!

I purchased Blaster Multi-Max Synthetic Lubricant (Part# 16-MM-DS). It does not contain
silicone or lithium and it's odorless. Multi-Max seems like a good substitute for Jig-A-Loo.

Is there any reason I should not apply Multi-Max to the drivers seat belt?

 

[tomw]

You may find a label on the belt, likely near one end, that indicates cautions, cleaning and care for the belt fabric. You could also ask Ford. If you are concerned about the mechanism that is apparently in need of a bit of lube, I would have no problem using it personally. I would likely use it even if it was going to get on the belt webbing.
You may try compressed air blown into the retraction mechanism. It's possible a build up of dust over time has made it a bit stiff to operate and blowing with compressed air while making the mechanism catch, release, retract, etc will clear things up.
tom

 

[RustyBolt]

Thanks tomw.

I remembered saving an old seat belt somewhere in my shop. After a brief search I found
the seat belt. If the Multi-Max damaged or discolored this old belt it didn't matter. I sprayed
the belt, waited 30 minutes, and sprayed the belt again. There was no color change and
the belt fabric was not damaged.

I have a set of metal and plastic pry tools for cabin trim and door panels. Prying off those
large plastic panels is a job I never liked. I'm always concerned that the panel might distort
or crack. To access the seat belt retractor, I must pry off the trim panel. I will pry off the
panel if necessary, but I'm going to try the Multi-Max first.