2005 Liberty seat belt retractor (& air bags)

[splumer]

I have a 2005 Liberty. My son hit a tree last night (apparently it jumped out in front of him), deploying the airbags and locking up the seat belts. Now, the seat belts won't retract on either the driver's or passenger's side. Do the retractors need to be replaced, or is there a way to reset them? I pulled the cover off and there was nothing obvious, except the warning that service only be performed by a qualified mechanic. I need to get these taken care of ASAP, since I can't get it around me for even a modicum of safety.

On to the air bags. The bumper only suffered minor damage, but apparently he hit right where the sensor was, thus causing them to deploy. Is this something that a non-pro should attempt? I'd be just as happy without them, since I always wear my seat belt, which seems to make them redundant. Thanks in advance!

Scott in snowy Cleveland

[fredjacksonsan]

"Jumped in front of him"....sounds like a target fixation accident - you drive where you look.

Anyway.... seat belts are supposed to be replaced after being used in an accident. If your son was driving alone, then probably just the driver's seat needs to be replaced, but there may be a requirement for both front seat units to be replaced. I don't know about newer units having a reset or not, it's been a long time since I worked on a seat belt.

I wouldn't drive without the airbags for numerous reasons. From what I know there is a danger of new ones deploying during installation, and getting the steering wheel and dash covers back in place is difficult. I'd leave it to the professionals.