How to Repair the Seat Belt on a 2000 Cavalier

Chevrolet's 2000 Cavalier was sold in both a coupe and a sedan body style that were powered by a 2.2-Liter four-cylinder engine. A Z24 trim level was available only as a coupe, but it came with a more powerful 2.4-Liter engine. The Cavalier relied on a standard three-point seat belt arrangement in the front and rear of the car, which extended from the center pillar between the front and rear doors, or from the sides of the rear seat backrest, to the sides of the seats. An additional seat belt extended upward from between the rear center seat cushion and backrest. A broken seat buckle or a loose belt strap can be inherently dangerous in the event of an accident. Removing and replacing the seat belts from any position will require some disassembly in the Cavalier's interior.

Instructions

Open the front door on the same side as the damaged seat belt.

Pull out the bottom edge of the seat belt guide cover, located at the top of the center pillar between the front and rear doors, by hand. Unscrew the seat belt guide bolt from the center pillar using a Torx bit and a ratchet.

Unlatch the rear seat backrest, using the pull strap behind upper edge of the backrest. Pull the backrest forward into a 50-degree angle. Unhook the side seat belts from the retaining hooks on both sides of the backrest. Pull the spacer clip off of the key pin at the bottom right corner of the backrest using pliers. Slide the backrest to the left until the right key pin is free from the backrest key slot. Pull the right side of the backrest forward slightly, then slide the backrest to the right to free the remaining key pin from the key slot on the bottom left side of the backrest. Remove the backrest from the cabin.

Pry off the upper rear-quarter trim panels off using a trim removal tool. Pry out the retaining pin attaching the inner corners of the lower rear-quarter trim panels to the car's chassis using a flat-head screwdriver. Pry out the clips securing the bottom of the lower trim panel to the chassis using the trim removal tool.

Pry the top of the trim panel from the center pillar using a trim removal tool. Pull the panel upward to free it from the retaining slots in the carpet's molding, then pull it away entirely. Remove the screws from the scuff panel, the plastic trim panel that conceals the edge of the carpet along the side of the front door sill, using a Phillips screwdriver. Pry the scuff panel upward with a trim removal tool to free the panel's mounting clips from the slots cut into the door sill. Pull the scuff panel away to reveal the seat belt retractor mechanism.

Remove the bolt from the bottom of the seat belt retractor using a Torx socket and a ratchet. Lift the retractor until the T-shaped tab at the top of it aligns with the cutout in the Cavalier's skin, then guide the tab out of the slot cut in the center pillar to remove the retractor.

Slide the new retractor mechanism's tab into the slot, then lay the retractor flush against the center pillar. Screw the mounting bolt into place at the bottom of the retractor, then tighten the bolt to 31 foot-pounds using a torque wrench.

Reinstall the scuff panel, then push the clips at the bottom of the center pillar trim panel into the retaining slots in the carpet. Push the clips at the top of the center pillar trim panel into the slots cut into the edge of the roof by hand. Screw the scuff panel screws tightly into place using a Phillips screwdriver.

Pull the seat belt guide into place against its mounting point along the center pillar trim panel. Unwind the seat belt, if needed, to prevent it from tangling or coiling. Screw the seat belt guide bolt into place and tighten it to 21 foot-pounds. Push the plastic cover over the seat belt guide.

Push the clips along the inner face of the lower rear-quarter trim panels into the slots cut into the chassis. Push the retaining pins into the hole on the inner corners of the lower rear-quarter trim panels. Push the upper rear-quarter trim panel into place until the clips lock into their retaining slots.

Hold the rear seat backrest at an angle and slip the right key pin into the key slot on the bottom right side of the backrest. Slide the backrest as far to the right as possible, then slide the left backrest key slot over the left key pin. Center the backrest and push the space clip over the right key pin, just behind the backrest key slot. Slip the rear side seat belts into the retaining hooks on both sides of the backrest. Push the backrest back until the seat latch locks into place.

Open the front and rear door on the same side as the damaged seat belt. Move the front seat as far back as possible to provide enough room to access the forward seat mounting nuts. Pull the caps off of the forward mounting stubs by hand, then unscrew both mounting nuts from the studs using a socket and a ratchet. Move the seat as far forward as possible, then remove the rear mounting nuts and stud covers.

Lift the seat until the adjuster rails are free from the mounting studs. Unplug the seat belt wiring harness if you are removing the driver seat. Remove the seat from the car.

Remove the plastic plug from the base of the passenger seat belt buckle, attached to the car's floor pan, using a Phillips screwdriver. Unscrew the seat belt buckle bolt, using a socket and a ratchet. This step applies only to the passenger-side seat belt buckle.

Remove the seat belt buckle bolt from the right driver seat adjuster using a socket and a ratchet. Pull the buckle away from the driver seat. This step applies only to the driver seat.

Install the new seat belt buckle into the appropriate position for either the driver or passenger seat. Tighten the driver seat belt mounting bolt to 35 foot-pounds using a torque wrench. Screw the plastic plug into place over the seat belt buckle bolt if needed.

Position the seats into the car and over the seat mounting studs. Plug in the driver seat belt buckle wiring harness if needed. Screw the mounting nuts into place over the studs by hand, then tighten the nuts to 18 foot-pounds.

Open the rear door and climb into the cabin. Unlatch the rear seat backrest using the pull strap behind upper edge of the backrest. Pull the backrest forward into a 50-degree angle. Unhook the side seat belts from the retaining hooks on both sides of the backrest. Pull the spacer clip off of the key pin at the bottom right corner of the backrest using pliers. Slide the backrest to the left until the right key pin is free from the backrest key slot. Pull the right side of the backrest forward slightly, then slide the backrest to the right to free the remaining key pin from the key slot on the bottom left side of the backrest. Remove the backrest from the cabin.

Slip a flat-head screwdriver into the slot cut into one of the mounting hooks under the front of the rear seat cushion. Pry the seat cushion backward with the screwdriver, then lift the front of the seat cushion upward until it is released from the tabs. Pull the seat cushion out of the cabin.

Pry out the retaining pins securing the front edge of the rear window trim panel to the rear package shelf below the rear window using a flat-head screwdriver. Pull both rear seat belts through the slots cut into both ends of the trim panel. Lift the front of the trim panel up, then pull the trim panel forward to free it from the package shelf. Remove the trim panel from the cabin.

Remove the bolt from the rear seat belt retractor mechanism on the package shelf using a ratchet. Remove the bolt from the seat belt anchor plate, located on the rear seat pan, using a Torx driver. Remove the remaining rear seat belt from the package shelf if needed.

Unscrew the retaining nuts securing the rear seat buckles and the center seat belt to the rear seat pan using a ratchet. Lift the seat belt off of the mounting studs protruding from the floor pan.

Slide the new center seat belt and buckles over the mounting studs, then screw the retaining nuts into place by hand. Tighten the nuts to 31 foot-pounds using a torque wrench.

Mount a new rear seat belt retractor mechanism onto the rear package shelf. Screw the retractor mechanism bolt into place and tighten it to 27 foot-pounds. Extend the seat belt and mount the anchor plate onto the rear seat pan. Tighten the anchor plate bolt to 31 foot-pounds. Install the remaining seat belt retractor, if needed, using the same method and torque values.

Push the rear of the rear window trim panel into place over the package shelf. Slip the rear seat belts through the slots on both ends of the trim panel, then lower the panel onto the package shelf. Push the retaining pins into the holes on the front of the trim panel.

Slide the rear of the seat cushion into place below the rear seat backrest. Push the front of the cushion onto the rear seat pan, then push down forcefully until the hooks under the front of the cushion snap into the mounting hooks. Close the door.