Seat belt buckle problem

[jp11]

I recently purchased a seatbelt strap to retain a dog.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dog-Car-Va...item4ce984ab12

I put it into the seatbelt buckle for the first time, but can't get the thing back out again! It's locked in. Any suggestions?

[Georgeandkira]

Hello, It sure sounds like the stamping they used to make the male element simply didn't match the Volvo form closely enough. Did you hold the two pieces side-by-side before inserting it? It might get a bit messy but I'd give it a little lube after surrounding the area with towels. Then I'd have a helper tap against the buckle rapidly with something hart-say, a lightweight brass hammer, whilst pushing the release button and pulling. Try tapping the buckle at different points. There's a good chance a rear seat buckle is stiff and dirty from lack of use to begin with. Kira

[jp11]

Got it out. With some persuasion from a table knife. Good job I didn't put the mutt in the front seat.

[Jim314]

I think it is acting responsibly to restrain a dog with a proper canine automobile harness and tether, engineered to take the stresses of a crash. The kind I use for our medium to large dogs has a carabiner at the end of the tether which goes around the seat belt. This allows more play (maybe too much) but it doesn't have the problem you encountered.

One other kind I have used has a loop on the end of the harness which the seat belt is passed through and then inserted into the seat belt clasp.

[newv50girl]

Hi,

I've had the same problem in my car recently. Once you put the buckle in, it sticks and you can't get it out again! I've done this twice now with two different makes of dog seat belt attachments.

To get it out, I used a flat "filler knife", pushed it into the retaining clip beside the attachment buckle and kept pushing down and pulling. Eventually, it will pop out!

Probably not good for the seat belt retainer, so I don't think I'll be using them again!!!

Apparently, there aren't any dog seat belt attachments on the market that will properly fit post '97 Volvos!??

If anyone does know of any, please let us know.

Thanks

[Kenya Replay]

I recently bought an XC60 and got some new (Ezydog) seat belt clips for our 2 large (40kg) dogs. Used them for the first time this weekend and the buckles eventually unclipped for both dogs during the drive. The seat belt clips were bent when I removed them and I noticed there was a sticker on the clips that said “not suitable for Volvo’s” which I hadn’t noticed or wasn’t mentioned at the time of purchase. The pet store exchanged them and I got the versions where the seat belts pass through a loop which avoids the need to use the car’s seat belt buckle. I hope they will solve the issue but wondering if they may allow too much play and movement for my dogs. This thread seems to suggest an issue with Volvo’s for third party seat belt clips.

[stuart bowes]

I wonder if dog clips are subject to the same kitemarking / manufacturing standards as human seatbelts because they don't 'matter' as much as it were

I say that as a dog owner and life long lover of dogs and all animals btw

but devils advocate and all that.. I bought a pair of 6-8" or so seat belt extenders for the rear seats because it makes putting the kids in their booster seats a lot easier. trust me i did my best to pull them out when testing them and they did not budge. yet they click in and out as easily as the normal seat belt clips

they were just unbranded off-amazon things I think from china

maybe when it comes to dog ones they just make them to any old tolerance because 'who's gonna sue'

we normally just loop the dog lead around a metal bracket in the back. He's on a proper chest surround type restraint, not the neck collar. it gives him enough to get up and down off the rear seats, happy as larry. he's a big soppy red setter so not some small little thing either. that's in the Elgrand though I wouldnt want to put him in the boot of my car