rear seat belps ripped

[pressman_g]

Here are some pics of the other belt. The damage here are slightly different.

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[JRobes]

I truly think this damage happened down near the retractors themselves, and there's probably something either on the retractor or nearby on a vehicle panel that is wearing through the belt. With the fray lines happening at your ~6" intervals, it tracks that something rubbed (or chewed, ie a critter) through the multiple layers of belt wrapped on the retractor. I'd seriously consider having your mechanic (or even better Jeep Tech so they can document it) look it over so it doesn't happen again to your new belts.

Here's the seatbelt diagram for the rear belts in the JT... there's really no way for someone to reach the retractor with all the body panels in place. And another pic showing where the belt (blue highlight) passes down to the bottom of the cab where the retractor mounts (red).

@JeepCares - set this guy up with a free appointment to get this inspected.

 

[JRobes]

YIKES! One thing this forum can do to help here - go out to your Gladiator, pull the rear belts all the way out, and look for anything similar. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a few here. This kind of thing has recall written all over it IMHO.

(I’d be the first to volunteer if I weren’t three time zones away from my truck rn)

Just checked mine and no such fraying at all.

 

[pressman_g]

I truly think this damage happened down near the retractors themselves, and there's probably something either on the retractor or nearby on a vehicle panel that is wearing through the belt. With the fray lines happening at your ~6" intervals, it tracks that something rubbed through the multiple layers of belt wrapped on the retractor. I'd seriously consider having your mechanic (or even better Jeep Tech so they can document it) look it over so it doesn't happen again to your new belts.

Here's the seatbelt diagram for the rear belts in the JT... there's really no way for someone to reach the retractor with all the body panels in place. And another pic showing where the belt (blue highlight) passes down to the bottom of the cab where the retractor mounts (red).

@JeepCares - set this guy up with a free appointment to get this inspected.

how does jeep cares work? I was honestly so disgusted with my local dealer that I planned to write a letter to Jeeps Head of North America. They totally blew me off and tried to tell me my imaginary fat relative cut the belt.

 

[Mr._Bill]

how does jeep cares work? I was honestly so disgusted with my local dealer that I planned to write a letter to Jeeps Head of North America. They totally blew me off and tried to tell me my imaginary fat relative cut the belt.

I would write the letter and let them know what happened.

@JeepCares is more a liason between Jeep, the dealer, and the customer. They can get some things done, but there powers are limited, and they are not a technical resource. You have to contact them and request assistance (call or private message).

 

[pressman_g]

Ok... so today we finally figured it out. A few days after the repair my 6 year old tried to use the seat belt and it was ripped again. WTF. That night, I also noticed rat shit on the floor- so I set a trap and killed the rat very quickly. The next day I brought the truck back to the mechanic and he was dumbfounded. He took everything out and saw more rat shit behind the seat AND this plastic vent that goes to a small space behind the truck bed. The rat had gnawed through this vent and gotten in the car. It was eating the seat belt. It also chewed threw an antenna wire that is back there.

So- it would seem this is not a safety issue at all... but just a bad design maybe? Now I have to pay for another set of seat belts and more labor to install.

While I'm happy its not a safety issue... im still extremely frustrated at the Service Manager of my local Jeep Dealership. He was so confident that my imaginary fat relative had sliced the belt with a razor blade. Had he taken the time to inspect the area- this all could've been avoided. Also, wtf is someone designing a plastic vent like this behind the seat that can be so easily infiltrated by rodents? A mouse could get through here easily too.

The mechanic recommended I try to place some type of maulable chicken wire over this vent (there are 2 actually) to prevent more intruders.

 

[JRobes]

This isn't something that can be easily inspected, it's all hidden behind seats and panels that would need to be replaced. And without seeing the retractors and the multiple chew lines on the belt, they wouldn't have really been able to guess rats either.

I'm more surprised your mechanic didn't inspect further while fixing it the first time.

You could always leave some sort of rat repellent or poison pellets behind your panels, and then you'll be notified via smell if you have more invaders.

 

[MPMB]

Yeah, once I saw the second belt damage I was going to post "put a mouse trap w/ peanut butter inside and around your jeep."

Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals.

 

[pressman_g]

This isn't something that can be easily inspected, it's all hidden behind seats and panels that would need to be replaced. And without seeing the retractors and the multiple chew lines on the belt, they wouldn't have really been able to guess rats either.

I'm more surprised your mechanic didn't inspect further while fixing it the first time.

You could always leave some sort of rat repellent or poison pellets behind your panels, and then you'll be notified via smell if you have more invaders.

Yeah- im slightly annoyed at that too. It sounds like he had his assistant install the belts. I did ask that they try to look for a cause when i dropped it off the first time. Im not sure if they removed all of the panels the first time or just the side one where the retractor is. Anyways, when I went back today he was pretty conciliatory. I'm buying the belts again this time myself and will drop them over to him when they arrive. I did mention to him that he should not charge me the full labor for the second go around. He's honestly been very good to me over the years- so lets hope that continues this time with the second belt install.

 

[Hootbro]

Do the kids eat while they are back there? Might have been attracted to food debris.

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