The other day my wife was taking off her seat belt (passenger of course...) on my 97 528i and it got stuck going in. There is about 2 feet of play and it cant be pulled or pushed in. The mechanis said it was a counter-weight issue.

Has this happened to any of you and can it be fixed?

Thnaks for all your helpful info.

look at the part where it goes into the pillar and see that the cover is not pinching it, the covers slide down and cause this sometimes.

Some times the belt folds and gets stuck, if thats the case, pull it out hard.

look at the part where it goes into the pillar and see that the cover is not pinching it, the covers slide down and cause this sometimes.
+1 Mark...and if this isn't the problem, the retractor has failed and you'll need to replace the seatbelt retractor.
Some times the belt folds and gets stuck, if thats the case, pull it out hard.
-1 as the ratcheting mech is designed to lock when encountering this type of quick or forced pulling. Remember that it's supposed to keep you from flying forward in a frontal impact so therefore, is very sensitive to this type of motion. Believe me, I've experienced it enough times to know...:eek:! Maybe if you pull slowly and gently but firmly, it might work if this is the case...