[Reckon]

Anyone with a Prestige and the Meridian Sound System (with the electric rear seats - both heating and recline as part of the comfort and convenience package) have an issue with the seat belts not retracting and actually getting stuck in a very loose position?

Both of my rear seat belts (not the middle passenger one) get stuck with tremendous slack when they are moved just a little bit from the standard position. Imagine you are a passenger in the rear and you move to your side to pick something up from the floor or look at something another rear passenger is showing you. The seat belt slacks to let you move, but when you return to your normal seating position, it does not retract and keeps the slack from the movement, making it practically useless! My SA and I looked at some other F-Paces in the lot but we didnt find one with my options to compare. All the other vehicles had belt stops and functioned properly. Mine has no belt stop so it does not seem to work right. You can see that the rear panels over the seat belt are different for each option - as I stated, I have the comfort and convenience package which provides the heated rear seats with electronic seat recline as well as the meridian sound system so my panels that go over the seat belts are pretty unique.

SA has opened a case with Jaguar and they are investigating but no word as of Monday. Sucks because I cant safely transport anyone in the back seat until this get fixed, especially not my 10 year old son who I usually have with me. Picking up my F-Pace today but imagine it will be back to the dealership within a week or two with some kind of fix. Not sure if this is a widespread issue with F-Paces having a similar build or just an issue with mine.

But if you have a Prestige with the comfort and convenience rear seats and the Meridian sound system, check your rear seat belts and make sure they work properly. Pull them far to the side and see if they get stuck and dont retract. Just a dangerous thing...

 

[CGBuffalo]

I have the same configuration, so I'll check it next time I get in. Thanks for the heads up. I'll let you know if I experience the same issues.

 

[baherrick]

I have an S model with comfort and convenience and Meridian which I assume would be the same as the Prestige. No problem with my seat belts in the back.

 

[JWreck]

We've had this problem in our S with the same packages a couple of times.

 

[GRVR]

Just curious , what does having a Meridian Sound System have to do with the Seat Belt Function ?

 

[Reckon]

The Meridian Sound System has a different rear end compared to non Meridian systems. There are two speakers in the rear plastic housing (directly behind the rear seat on each side of the small window) that require a different configuration. So the seat belts sit differently.


The Jaguar Rep was at my Jaguar dealer on Thursday and they were supposed to get back to me on Friday but haven't. Left them a message Friday afternoon and this morning so will see if they get back to me. Otherwise, may be getting a case open with Jag NA and customer relations about it.

 

[Gorgon]

No issues with any of my rear seatbelts with the Comfort/Convenience and Tech package in my S. Not sure it would be any different in a Prestige.

 

[Reckon]

Could just be a one off on mine...but still no word from Jag. Getting to the point that I want to call the customer relations office and make a stink about it. Not safe to transport anyone in the back seat outside of the middle seat.

 

[theRAMSTA]

According to the IIHS:
"There are mandatory safety belt laws in all states except New Hampshire. In some states, these laws cover front-seat occupants only, but belt laws in 28 states and the District of Columbia cover all rear-seat occupants, too.
Belt use laws in only 34 states and the District of Columbia are primary, meaning police may stop vehicles solely for belt law violations. In other jurisdictions, police must have some other reason to stop a vehicle before citing an occupant for failing to buckle up.
Safety belt use can have implications in civil suits ? 16 states allow the "safety belt defense," which can reduce damages collected by someone in a crash if the person failed to buckle up. The reduction is permitted only for injuries that would have been prevented by a belt."

 

[karl1672]

No issues with mine. Electric rear seat recline and ICT 380W Meridian. Maybe an issue with speaker placements on the ICTP 850W Meridian since there are additional speakers?

 

[ChrisVH]

Yes, mine occasionally gets stuck in a small slot... My 5 Y.O. granddaughter first noticed it, and it has happened twice since. It's always obvious though and I am able to pull it out.

 

[Reckon]

Yeah, its obvious at times, but still not safe. If people are in the back and laughing and are distracted, they may not notice that the seat belt is not retracted. Furthermore, we did notice that enough slack causes the belt to twist making it even harder to get back to its safe position.


Still waiting on Jaguar to tell me what they are going to do...

 

[Reckon]

Update - service manager was going to close the case on my issue saying the seat belts were working fine and my issue was with a car seat. Made sure that wasn't the case - went down there on Friday, took one finger and pulled the seat belt and showed him how it got stuck...needles to say "oh ****" face was upon him immediately. He took pics and video for the case...they decided to try a fix - they pulled the rear panels and trimmed off the teeth that are supposed to keep the belt I place. So now, instead of getting stuck, the belt has more room to slide. Problem is, it is only a 75% solution - while it will no longer get stuck and be an issue for my 10 year old son and people of smaller stature to sit there and have the seat belt work properly, it does not work for larger adults and more 'extreme' movements - still gets stuck. So he is supposed to get back with Jaguar and see what they can do...he is at a loss and stated that the panels need to be redesigned to prevent it from happening.


Still curious if any Meridian and Comfort and Convenience options folks have this issue...

 

[MTGRL]

Update - service manager was going to close the case on my issue saying the seat belts were working fine and my issue was with a car seat. Made sure that wasn't the case - went down there on Friday, took one finger and pulled the seat belt and showed him how it got stuck...needles to say "oh ****" face was upon him immediately. He took pics and video for the case...they decided to try a fix - they pulled the rear panels and trimmed off the teeth that are supposed to keep the belt I place. So now, instead of getting stuck, the belt has more room to slide. Problem is, it is only a 75% solution - while it will no longer get stuck and be an issue for my 10 year old son and people of smaller stature to sit there and have the seat belt work properly, it does not work for larger adults and more 'extreme' movements - still gets stuck. So he is supposed to get back with Jaguar and see what they can do...he is at a loss and stated that the panels need to be redesigned to prevent it from happening.


Still curious if any Meridian and Comfort and Convenience options folks have this issue...

I am hoping they get this resolved for you. I will have both those options on my MY18 coming this summer and am concerned with this issue as well. Plus, if they figure out a redesign it would be nice if it was implemented at factory for all new builds coming off the line. I will definitely watch for it upon delivery in either case.

 

[Reckon]

Not sure if my problem is one off or something that happens/will happen with current models that have the meridian system and comfort and convenience package (electronically reclining rear seats). Hope it gets fixed soon though!

 

[PA-FPace-F]

I've seen this. I have the packages you've noted as well. I was able to get it to retract after messing with the belt a little.

 

[DPK]

I keep all the belts buckled in the back and have dummy buckles in the front..so my DIC screen at start up always shows all five belts buckled....And yes, I do wear my seat belt.




Moving on...

 

[ExtinctBird]

I have Comfort/Convenience package, and this issue has happened once for us so far. An adult in the back seat could not get the belt to retract. I was able to quickly see that the person had pulled the belt too far toward the middle and gotten it stuck in the guide. Seems there should be a reasonably easy fix to keep the belt from sliding between the plastic sections.

 

[CGBuffalo]

I finally remembered to check mine and first pull it got stuck. Getting stuck is one issue, but I also think it is going to wear the seat belt out faster than normal. When it catches, it's wedging in a "V" of plastic that doesn't really have a buffer. That's kinda like running a blade through a sharpener. Either the belt or the plastic is going to start to fail.

 

[Reckon]

Yep - regardless, its not how a seat belt is designed to work. I haven't seen this issue in any other car I have had.


Its an easy fix...the panels need to be redesigned so that the seat belt has a stop where it wont get stuck or tangled. Still waiting on my dealership and Jaguar to come back to me about a final fix...going to call my service manager today since I have given him 2 days already, haha.


Good news is that the panel fix they did on Friday works enough so that I can take my son in the car now...but would be hesitant to take a larger adult as it still binds under certain conditions (and no, there should never be any conditions where seat belts don't work, unless used improperly).