1998 Mazda 626

MY HUSBAND NOTICED THAT THE BOLT HOLDING THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE WAS LOOSE, SO HE ATTEMPTED TO TIGHTEN IT. THE BOLT WOULD NOT TIGHTEN, SO MY HUSBAND TOOK THE SEAT OUT TO GET TO THE BOLT AND THE BOLT JUST CAME RIGHT OUT OF THE HOUSING UNIT WITHOUT NEEDING TO UNSCREW IT. THE BOLT WAS COMPLETELY STRIPPED AND WE CANNOT USE THE DRIVER'S SIDE BUCKLE NOW. I CALLED MAZDA HEADQUARTERS AND THEY SAID TO TAKE IT TO A DEALERSHIP TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AND IT SHOULD BE A FREE FIX. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID I WAS PASSED THE 5 YEAR, 60,000 MILE SAFETY WARRANTEE AND IT WOULDN'T BE FREE. TO ME, THE SEAT BELT SHOULD WORK NO MATTER WHAT, NOT BE PART OF A WARRANTEE OF SAFETY. I'M CONCERNED BECAUSE THIS MAY HAPPEN TO OTHERS AND IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE BUCKLE MAY COME OUT OF THE HOUSING UNIT AND RENDER THE SEAT BELT USELESS. *AK

THE WEBBING HAS STARTED TO SEPARATE ON THE PASSENGER REAR SEAT BELT AND IS ABOUT HALF WAY ACROSS (THE WIDTH) OF THE SEAT BELT. THE DEALER STATES THE BELT HAS BEEN CUT. THE BELT HAS NOT BEEN CUT. I HAVE CONTACTED MAZDA AND CAN TALK TO NO ONE OTHER THAN THE PERSON AT THE OTHER END OF THE 800 NUMBER. THAT PERSON (HAVE TALKED TO TWO DIFF. PEOPLE ON TWO DIFF. OCCASIONS) TELLS ME THE DEALER IS THE EYES AND EARS OF MAZDA AND THAT THEY HAVE THE FINAL SAY. HELP!!*AK

MY PROBLEM IS WITH THE REAR CENTER SHOULDER SEAT BELT STRAP OF THE 1998 MAZDA 626. WHAT I CONSIDER AS A LIFE THREATENING PROBLEM TO MY THREE YEAR OLD DAUGHTER. WE WERE IN ROUTE TO OUR HOME, SHE WAS RESTRAINED CORRECTLY IN A CHILD CAR SEAT IN THE SEAT DIRECTLY BEHIND MYSELF (DRIVER) SHE WAS BEING VERY QUITE SO I LOOKED IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR TO SEE IF SHE HAD FALLEN ASLEEP. I NOTICED HER SKIN COLOR WAS DARKER THAN NORMAL AND SHE WAS FOAMING AT THE MOUTH, I QUICKLY PULLED OVER TO THE CURB BECAUSE I THOUGHT SHE WAS CHOAKING ON SOMETHING. SHE HAD TAKEN THE SHOULDER STRAP FROM THE REAR CENTER SEAT AND WRAPPED IT AROUND HER NECK SEVERAL TIMES. I REACHED IN OVER THE CHILD SEAT AND TRIED TO RELEASE THE TENSION, BUT IT WOULD NOT LOOSEN UP. I REACHED INTO THE DARK TO RELEASE THE RED BUTTON THAT HOLDS THE LAP BELT THAT SNAPS INTO THE LOCKING DEVICE, BUT THE CENTER BELT DOES NOT HAVE A RED BUTTON. AT THIS POINT I PANICKED, MY DAUGHTER COULDNT BREATH AND I COULD DO NOTHING TO RELEASE THE REAR CENTER SEAT BELT. I MANAGED TO WORK MY FINGER IN BETWEEN THE STRAP AND HER THROAT SO SHE COULD GET SOME AIR. NOW I WAS TRAPPED AND COULD DO NOTHING THAT WOULD RISK HER LIFE. I SCREAMED AND SOMEONE CAME TO MY RESCUE WITH A PAIR OF SCISSORS. I CUT THROUGH THE SOLDER STRAP AND UNWRAPPED IT FROM AROUND HER NECK. THE TOP HALF OF THE SHOULDER STRAP RETRACTED INTO THE TOP SLOT IN THE REAR OF THE SEAT. THE NEXT MORNING I CLOSER EXAMINED THE BELT MECHANISM AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS A SMALL RELEASE LATCH NO BIGGER THAN THE SIZE OF A BB THAT WOULD HAVE RELEASED THE BELT. I FEEL THIS NON-STANDARD RELEASE BUTTON ALMOST COST ME MY DAUGHTERS LIFE. I'M SO UPSET WITH THIS DESIGN FLAW THAT I DON'T WANT TO HEAR SOME SERVICE MANAGER TELL ME IT WAS MY FAULT FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO FIGURE OUT EVERY DUMB THING MY THREE YEAR OLD COULD DO AHEAD OF TIME. AT THIS POINT I HAVE NOT BROUGHT THIS PROBLEM UP TO MY MAZDA DEALER, NOR HAVE I DECIDED TO EVEN ASK THEM TO REPLACE THE SHOULDER STRAP THAT I HAD TO CUT THROUGH.