Flipped seat belt?

02-03-2023

**Pics uploading flipped -- I'm unable to fix it on my end -- my apologies in advance!**

Hoping for some input---

I just noticed that my rear passenger seat belt appears to be twisted.

I was able to fully pull and retract the seat belt without issues. The retractor works fine. I checked the bottom portion of the belt that's bolted to the seat portion -- nothing is twisted there.

The buckle itself is not something that can be twisted into the wrong position either -- the small slot is rather narrow and too slim to allow the belt to twist.

I've attached some pics for comparison. If you look at the small plastic circle that keeps the buckle in place --- the tongue seems to be resting on the right side (front and rear circle plastic piece on the belt is oriented the same way on both sides.

I brought my car to the dealer inquiring this but they stated that I could be subjected to a diagnostic charge. I'm thinking this is a manufacturer defect --- I can't imagine how the buckle was flipped on the wrong side. Even if I can flip it (I know the trick to do it..as I do it for my kids car seat buckle all the time).. I don't think it would fix the orientation of the belt. In other words, the belt will always be twisted.

Any thoughts?

An image attached to this post, provided by the poster

02-03-2023

I have had that happen before in a Lexus I owned years ago. It happened after I bought the car. I was able to play around with it, folding the belt and moving the buckle to get it back to the other side.

02-03-2023

If you can't untwist it taking the entire belt out then it looks like it was twisted when they installed. Tell the dealer you aren't interested in paying a diagnostic fee, you just want them to fix the issue under warranty.

02-03-2023

What if you pull it all the way out, then twist the belt before it retracts (so it goes onto the spool with a twist in it). As your kids will never completely pull the belt out, it'll stay that way.

But yes, if it's under warranty then I'd be down insisting that they don't need to diagnose something that you can see with your eyes in 30 seconds.

02-03-2023

I've fixed this many times on other vehicles, just takes a little patience. You can fold the belt on itself in the seatbelt clasp slot to turn it around. Very tight, goes slowly but I've never not been able to fix it.

02-03-2023

Tejas1836 wrote
I've fixed this many times on other vehicles, just takes a little patience. You can fold the belt on itself in the seatbelt clasp slot to turn it around. Very tight, goes slowly but I've never not been able to fix it.

If you look at the actual belt, it was reversed mounted at the bottom. Flipping the buckle won't fix this. It was actually assembled incorrectly.

02-03-2023

skyline408 wrote
If you look at the actual belt, it was reversed mounted at the bottom. Flipping the buckle won't fix this. It was actually assembled incorrectly.

This is interesting to me and confirms an issue I’m having with my M440i. I’ve tried twisting the belt as described in prior posts but it still always ended up twisted. I finally figured out that was my problem as well. I thought I was crazy.

02-03-2023

skyline408 wrote
If you look at the actual belt, it was reversed mounted at the bottom. Flipping the buckle won't fix this. It was actually assembled incorrectly.

Looks OK at the bottom, may be twisted in the roller, need to pull it all the way out

02-03-2023

Tejas1836 wrote
Looks OK at the bottom, may be twisted in the roller, need to pull it all the way out

I don't think it's the roller that's twisted. Seatbelts are designed to not roll up when it's twisted at the top. It will stop rolling up.

09-29-2023

Bumping this thread --- finally had time to bring it in and the service center told me it's not covered under warranty. They told me its from use that caused the belt to flip.. I have no idea how. Needless to say, I left it at that as they say they would charge me to disassemble and fix.

Should I bring it back in to the same dealer a second time while there an oil change [hoping another tech/service advisor would look at it] or should I bring it to another dealership? The SA told me that he checked w/ the manager and he wouldn't budge. Since I "didn't buy the vehicle from them" they couldn't do any goodwill for me.

Honestly, if it's a manufacturer defect --- I am offended by them suggesting that since I didn't buy the car from them - they wouldn't help me.

Is this something that can be escalated up to BMW corporate?

05-08-2026

I have the same problem! Brought it by the dealer and they said make sure to mention it next time I bring in for service and they will fix under warranty. I'd rather fix at home if possible but it looks like one end is attached wrong/flipped. Any other updates?

05-09-2026

Usually the bottom end of a seat belt is held in with a bolt.

Did some research and was able to find a document for removing the bottom seat cushion.

Maybe you could try if you have the tools. Else I would take it in to dealer and have it fixed under warranty.

G05 Rear Seat Removal.pdf

05-10-2026

This is a simple fix that anyone can do. There’s a video on YT. No dealer or tool needed. Just pull the belt all the way out fold it and pull it from behind, while you hold/force the fold from the front.

05-12-2026

I've had this happen a few times over the years, and was always able to fix it by pulling the belt entirely out of the spool and folding the belt as I fed it back in. It is a tight fit, but that's to help prevent it from happening in the first place.

05-12-2026

Had the same issue with the Lexus RX after the booster seats were removed. No idea how my kid managed to twist the seatbelt as shown in the pictures.
Took a lot of patience and effort to untwist on more than one occasion.

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Flipped seat belt?