Seat Belts & Parts for Mazda Miata

Seat Belts and Parts for Mazda Miata

Having functional seat belts is obviously a crucial safety concern for any Mazda. You can find seat belts as well as the individual parts that make up the seat belt system in case any of them need to be replaced.

The term "OEM" stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer, meaning the part was manufactured specifically for Mazda. An OEM model for a particular car is the unit that first shipped with that car when it was new, so it functions as an exact replacement for belts that that car uses. Any model that is not sold as OEM is called aftermarket. Some aftermarket units are closely based on the OEM version, but others have exotic designs or alterations that range from major to minor. For example, a high-speed performance harness would be an aftermarket unit that has special features.

The basic seat belt is composed of four parts, and all of them can be found individually or in a kit.

• The latch is the locking point that the seat belt clicks into, which has a button release to open the belt.
• The extender is the main part of the belt that stretches across the occupant.
• The pre-tensioner is the pulley mechanism that sits attached to the wall over the riders shoulder and affects the length of the extender.
• The clip is the plastic loop attached to the extender that allows for length adjustments and locking.

There are other available parts for more complex designs, too. For example, a racing harness is a special configuration of belt that allows for safe racing under high speeds and more powerful potential impacts. A five-point harness is a specific type of racing belt that joins in the center and has five different latches that are distributed evenly around the seat.

Belts are often marketed by front and back or by left and right. These are usually symmetrical, but you often cannot use a left-side belt on the right and vice versa. Cars typically have bucket seats in the front and bench seats in the rear, both of which take a slightly different design and placement of seat belt. This varies by the year and model of the Mazda as well, so it takes a little research to know which belts will be appropriate for your needs.