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After six years with a car, you'd think I know all its foibles by now. Not so. It turns out there's an interesting design flaw in the back seat. It's a split seat one third/two thirds that can be independently folded flat to give more space in the boot.
The two thirds side contains the seat belt for the middle seat. It's an inertia reel seat belt, the kind that locks if the belt is pulled quickly, and then needs to retract a little to unlock.
It turns out that the distance from the outlet of the belt to where it's attached to the floor is slightly shorter when the seat is folded than when it's upright.
It also turns out that the belt locking mechanism locks when the seat is folded down in the horizontal position, only taking up any slack in the belt, not giving out any extra length.
Can you see where this is going yet?
Yes, fold the seat, and its possible for the inertia reel belt to take in the slack that's now available, making it impossible to raise the seat again. The belt mechanism locks, and it's impossible to get the extra length out needed.
£30 labour charge at the garage, as they have to completely dismantle the rear seat to free the belt!
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