damaged seat belts

[Steve491]

We just bought a used 2011 LE with 13k miles. It's in great shape, almost new, but I have a few questions. First, is it supposed to have a cargo cover from the factory? I assume it was, but don't know for sure. In any case, does anyone have a biege one for sale?
Secondly, and most important, is there a common problem that would damage the front seat belt? Both front seat belts are frayed, almost torn, in the area just behind the plastic cover next to the seat. I'm talking about when the seat belt is not fastened, the buckle is on the stop, and the adjuster is all the way down. It's almost like something is catching it inside the pillar and damaging it. I don't want to take it apart because the car is still under warranty, but I don't want to waste my time taking it into a dealership if they'll most likely say we damaged it. It seems highly unlikely that we could accidentally damage both seat belts in the exact same place. Funny thing is that we've had this car for about 2 months now and just noticed it yesterday. The wife and I both swore it didn't use to be that way. Any comments?
Thanks.

[zebelkhan]

Safety equipment carry their own warranty which is even longer than the normal bumper to bumper warranty. If in your opinion wear and tear is not due to some sort of obvious abuse (dog has not chewed it), take it in and ask for repair under warranty.

[Halwg]

Yes, those need replacement ASAP!

[njjoe]

I have never heard of the MO's belts being damaged in the pillar. And it would be even more odd to have both belts affected in the same way.

I have seen people (a.k.a. knuckleheads) who hate wearing seat belts bypass the interlock by leaving them connected and then sitting on the belts. It is kind of ridiculous in my opinion, but that is why they are knuckleheads. Maybe the previous owners did the same and the wear is from sitting on the belts.

-njjoe

[Halwg]

They must have had really large posteriors to wear them in a year and only 13,000 miles!

[Warhammer]

Or have stuff in their back pockets that was contributing to it. I'd take it down to a dealership if it's still under warranty and have them look at it. Who knows, maybe they'll swap it out for you free of charge.

[Steve491]

Thanks for the info.
The car is still under the factory warranty for sure. The funny thing is that there is NO WAY those seat belts were frayed like this when I bought it. Maybe they were damaged (nicked or scraped) but NO WAY they were like this. We would have noticed the first time the belts were clipped on and we always wear our seat belts. It's obvious to me that the fraying is new and no fault of ours.
Should I even bother with the GMC dealership that sold it to me or should I go to Nissan?
-Steve-

[njjoe]

Steve-

Nissan honors the warranty regardless of where you purchased the MO. I would take it Nissan and let them deal with it.

-njjoe

[Halwg]

BTW, cargo cargo covers are an add-on. A lot of the cars don't have them.

[Steve491]

Originally Posted by Halwg

BTW, cargo cargo covers are an add-on. A lot of the cars don't have them.

Thanks. I thought maybe it got missing before I bought it. No wonder a bunch of people on this board are looking for them.

[Halwg]

The cargo covers are really quite crappy. Right now mine is sitting in my garage. It's not nearly as nice or as useful as the one in my Explorer. They really aren't worth the money Nissan charges for them.

[nitely]

Steve491,

Post some photos of the damaged seatbelt and where you think it maybe getting caught at.

[Steve491]

Here's the latest on my seat belts. I called a couple of dealerships and they didn't want to help at all. One said bring it down so they could look at it, but he didn't think they could push it thru as warranty work. I really need this thing fixed so I found a website that sells OEM Nissan parts, they had the part for under $200 so I ordered it. Our time taking it to a dealership twice is probably half of that and 1/10 the hassle. I get a confirmation email and a few hours later I get a refund for my purchase. Huh? I checked my email again and got this:
"I am sorry, but there is a chemical in the seat belt that makes it a "hazardous material". I do not have the license to ship it. Your PayPal account has been refunded. Sorry for any inconvenience."
WTF. I can't win with this thing. This thing has less than 21K miles and it needs $1000 worth of tires and seat belts.

[BillArf]

You need to go to a Nisssan dealership's Service Department and not try to do this over the phone. Preferably go to the dealership that supposedly you will be going to for service during the ownership of the vehicle. Let that dealer know you will be using them. IF they refuse to replace, (especially after a calm cool and collected, non threatening conversation with the Service Manager) call Nissan Customer Service and undoubtedly they will tell dealer to replace under warranty. You can't or lets say should not try to do this stuff over the phone with a dealer.

[Steve491]

Originally Posted by BillArf

You need to go to a Nisssan dealership's Service Department and not try to do this over the phone. Preferably go to the dealership that supposedly you will be going to for service during the ownership of the vehicle. Let that dealer know you will be using them. IF they refuse to replace, (especially after a calm cool and collected, non threatening conversation with the Service Manager) call Nissan Customer Service and undoubtedly they will tell dealer to replace under warranty. You can't or lets say should not try to do this stuff over the phone with a dealer.

I understand your logic, I really do, but I would rather peel a couple hundred dollars out of my pocket than make numerous trips/phone calls to a dealership. I normally don't let enyone work on my vehicles unless it's warranty work and even then if I can live with it I won't take it in. I know it may sound stupid but car dealerships just make me cringe. I've rarely had a good experience with ANY dealership and I've been buying cars in 3 states for 24 years.