Seatbelt modifications & upgrades

[Bret]

Ok I’ve got a problem and am looking for options.

As some of you know about a year & a half ago my wife & I purchased a new GMC Envoy Denali XL fully loaded with every bell & whistle available plus a few dealer options. It is my wife’s daily driver, kid hauler and grocery getter. While the wife loves it – there is one thing that bugs her.

The integrated seatbelts are built into the front seats and cut into her shoulder. This over time has caused a dull ache in her shoulder & collar bone. We’ve tried the seatbelt shoulder pads and have even tried to see if there is a way to adjust the tension. But we haven’t had any luck.

So I’m considering taking the vehicle to a custom or upholstery shop that might be able to help. The idea is to keep the belt tensioner in the seat but have a swivel piviot anchor point located on the “B” pillar to relive the pressure coming across the shoulder. Problem is this vehicle has the integrated side curtain airbags and I really don’t want to tamper with those and would prefer a professional installer/custom shop handle this for us.

Any thoughts on this? While the vehicle isn’t my cup of Joe, it’d sure be a shame to sell it without at least considering some other options first.

 

[Mickey Richaud]

Well, I'm not sure I have any bright ideas, but I am surprised that there is no adjustment for height on the belts. I thought just about all newer vehicles had that feature. Guess their being integrated into the seat nixed that. Hope you can resolve it, 'cause if you have to trade, it'll surely cost ya.

Mickey

 

[JerryB]

"""""The integrated seatbelts are built into the front seats and cut into her shoulder. This over time has caused a dull ache in her shoulder & collar bone. Weve tried the seatbelt shoulder pads and have even tried to see if there is a way to adjust the tension""""""""

Trying to get someone to modify a factory belt installation might be problematic....competency and liability might be a factor.

You mention "seatbelt shoulder pads".

I use a pad made for 2" shoulder belts about 9" long that "wraps" the belt with a velcro closure and slides up or down the belt and adjusts at your neck after you buckle up. These come in sheepskin or fabric ...I found some decent and comfortable ones at the 99 cent store but have seen then at Auto Zone etc. in the ricer section at a hugely infalted price.

Plan "B" might be a trip to your friendly GM dealers Service Manager ?....GM might have a fix due to many complaints...

 

[kennypinkerton]

I've seen a plastic doohickey that pulls the shoulder strap more to the center of your lap (my wife does it with those cheap aluminum d-clip keyrings, as she too has the same problem in almost every car we own).

 

[foxtrapper]

Tension can be adjusted, but you'll have to do it. No dealer will touch this job. It will affect the rewinding capability when you're done. Just disassemble the seat enough to get the unit out, then disassemble the unit, and unwind the spring. It's easier to do than you think, and I've done this sort of job a number of times on various automatic seatbelt winder units.

Another free and easy alternative is to use a brooch. And since it's her vehicle, this should work well. Have her get into it and buckle up. Pull the seat belt forward a bit, and pin the brooch into the webbing so that it hits the plastic trim on the seat where the webbing goes in. Adjust the brooches position until it's just slack enough to be comfortable for her. Obviously the seat belt will not longer retract, so she'll have to be a little carefull about not slamming the door on the buckle or leaving the webbing hanging out to get wet in the rain.

 

[Paul Johnson]

Or just pull the shoulder harness out a hair from it's position when she is driving and place a spring loaded clothes pin on it to maintain the position. At least that should work until you can find something pretty looking.