Stuck seat belt

[rud3dog]

The passenger side seat belts is locked in retracted position and I cannot pull the seat belt out.
I did pull out the seat belt to clean with damp cloth a few days ago.
I am assuming the retractor is jammed. I could not find a way to take the B-pillar trim apart to inspect further.
Has anyone disassembled the B-pillar trim? Any advice will be very helpful.

 

[mojo]

It's not by any chance on a slope, is it? Sometimes that can cause the belt mechanism to lock, and it won't (typically) release again until it's relatively level.

 

[rud3dog]

It's not by any chance on a slope, is it? Sometimes that can cause the belt mechanism to lock, and it won't (typically) release again until it's relatively level.

The car is parked on a slope, but it happens on a leveled ground. Would parking the car on the slope in the opposite direction would help perhaps?

 

[mojo]

It might. The i3's seatbelts don't seem especially prone to jamming in my experience (never happened on my car, to date). Those that do seem to respond best to jiggling rather than pulling constantly. It's got to be worth a try turning it round so that it's on an opposite slope.

Is it possible that something (e.g. cloth fragments) got dragged back into the mechanism when you released the belt?

 

[rud3dog]

yes, it is a low hanging fruit. I might turn the car the other way around and see if that helps.
I am pretty sure there is no cloth fragment etc. nor the belt was twisted when I finished cleaning it.

 

[Vaniam]

Before tearing apart b pillar I would pull with all my might to get that last mm of belt loose on the real, might be enough to unlock.

 

[rud3dog]

Before tearing apart b pillar I would pull with all my might to get that last mm of belt loose on the real, might be enough to unlock.

I did try pulling and wiggling the seatbelt. It would only pull by an inch or so.
I have been looking for a guide to remove the b pillar trim to realize that b pillar trim on a i3 is the rear door interior trim..
I am wondering how to undo the 12v battery before taking the trim apart as I would not want to risk the airbag going off. The battery is sitting so deep inside the cowl..

 

[alohart]

I am wondering how to undo the 12v battery before taking the trim apart as I would not want to risk the airbag going off. The battery is sitting so deep inside the cowl..

Disconnect the 12V battery negative cable (10 mm wrench), but only after disconnecting the HV disconnect to the right of the frunk box (under the cover). I do this every year before we depart on 3+ months of international travel. It's possible to do without removing the frunk box or the windshield washer fluid reservoir filler tube.

 

[Jim0el]

The passenger side seat belts is locked in retracted position and I cannot pull the seat belt out.
I did pull out the seat belt to clean with damp cloth a few days ago.
I am assuming the retractor is jammed. I could not find a way to take the B-pillar trim apart to inspect further.
Has anyone disassembled the B-pillar trim? Any advice will be very helpful.

I've experienced a temporary jam, similar to what you're reporting, when there was a twist in the belt that prevented its free passage through its ports. Maybe a stronger pull will get it through ....

 

[rud3dog]

I have spent some time in the weekend to resolve this issue and I am happy to say that I was able to fix seat belt issue.
It was a simple fix where I had to undo the bottom seat belt mount allowing the seat belt to roll back in, gently pulling it out again.
However, not knowing this, I removed the whole door trim and being a BMW, it did not go without breaking a tab.

I spend some wonderful time gluing/plastic welding the broke tab reinforced with metal mesh.
When I gently pulled off the door trim, there was not enough slack and the door light guide broke in half as well. I had to glue this back on as well. For anyone who is planning to remove the door trim, be careful with the plastic light guide.