I have a '97 Camry, both rear side retractable seatbelts won't retract back, the kids pulled on them too far and now the seatbelts are unuseable. I tried old tricks I remembered from years ago I did on another car; check for bad fuses, check for a release switch, pull at it with the car running. I am now guessing I need to just replace them with new ones. I heard this is a common problem with this car, if anyone knows how to fix this before I replace them I will gratefully appreciate it.

 

I don't know of a fix but I would check a local junkyard or ebay for replacements. Buying new is going to be expensive.

 

Yeah I figured that too. Well at least pick your parts has their 1/2 off sale this weekend and ecology has theirs next weekend. That'll save more money!

 

Determine if the issue is the belt stuck in the plastic trim or the retraction mechanism is not releasing.

The belt retraction mechanism is easy enough to remove (1 bolt). There may be a removable cover on it which might allow access to the locking pawl.

Toyota has no info on belt retraction mechanism repair and the part would be considered non-repairable. But look for the locking pawl and when found, try to release it.

 

Thanks for that info, but actually I did see that when it first happened and I tried messing with that and still it wouldn't retract back. Luckily I have a good variety of junkyards near me, so I'll be checking all of them for the seatbelts.