UK Model Y Seatbelt rubbing neck

[mattdav]

I have a problem with the seatbelt of my MY rubbing my neck. Am I doing something unusual with my seat position or do loads of you have this problem and just ignore or buy a seatbelt padded cover etc. It's the only niggle I have with my car but it's _every_ time I use it.

I'm 5' 10" and I'd say pretty average build. I don't think I have the seat in an unusual position - just comfortable so that I can look through the middle of the windscreen.

The seatbelt adjuster is as low as it can go but I've also tried raising it as well as playing around with the adjustment of my seat.

I can't find a solution that works. Is everyone in the same boat? There is a (US-centric) thread on here discussing this and people suggest devices you can buy to change the path of the belt. Others warn that adjusting the way the belt fits could reduce its effectiveness. At the moment, if I had an accident I suspect I would end up with a neck cut/injury.

This is the 15th car I've owned and I've never had a problem with a seatbelt before.

 

[Kashp]

I too have the same issue so you're not alone. Sitting on passenger side was worse. Same height as you too. Haven't come across as solution yet though so will keep an eye on this thread.

 

[mattdav]

I too have the same issue so you're not alone. Sitting on passenger side was worse. Same height as you too. Haven't come across as solution yet though so will keep an eye on this thread.

Glad it's not just me. It annoys me I can't work it out. Surely it's just a geometry thing? I was wondering if there's anything obvious I've missed.

If I have time, I may go to my local Tesla centre this weekend and ask them. It seems stupid but it's a real annoyance.

 

[init6]

Is your seat adjusted properly?

Model Y Owner's Manual | Tesla

Learn how to use and customize the front and rear seats in your vehicle.

www.tesla.com

 

[mattdav]

Is your seat adjusted properly?

Model Y Owner's Manual | Tesla

Learn how to use and customize the front and rear seats in your vehicle.

www.tesla.com

I took a look at this - I think I have a tendency to have my seat on the low side. I've adjusted the seat again - took ages, started from scratch. I've put the seat higher than I usually would but not so high that I hit my head on the roof when getting out. There's some improvement as you can see from the photo. I have a 2hr drive today - I'll see how it feels.

I realised yesterday that I've been making a schoolboy error. For the last few weeks, I've been tinkering with the seat (and steering wheel) position to try to improve things. When I next get into the car, I realise that it's just as bad as ever. The thing is, I wasn't saving the adjustments to my driver profile. I've now worked out that each time I get in the car (using my phone as the key) the seat and wheel position reset to saved.

 

[mattdav]

I've just completed 2 hrs of driving with my new, higher, seat position. It's just the same, I have a slightly irritated neck where the seatbelt has been rubbing. Thinking about it, adjusting the seat position will have minimal effect on the position of the seatbelt as the seatbelt buckle thing is attached to the seat. So if you raise, lower, or move the seat front to back, not a lot is going to change. Looking again at my photos, I think I need to be able to move the seatbelt in the B pillar lower to change the angle of the seatbelt - but it's already at its lowest position.

It looks like I'm in a small minority of people with this problem. The only conclusion I can draw is that I have a freakishly short body! (hips to shoulders)

My only other observation is that the seatbelt sits way above my breastbone - I have a feeling that it should roughly go over that.

I guess I need to either buy some sort of adaptor device or consider if I want to keep the car

 

[mattdav]

Right, my final post on this. I know what the problem is and I hope this helps someone in the coming months and years if you find the same issue as me.

I've just been outside to the car. I put two cushions on the seat, sat down and put the seatbelt on. As you can see from the photo, that sorts the problem.

I consider myself to be pretty average in terms of body shape/size. For me, this is a design flaw and the seatbelt adjuster should go down lower. I now need to consider if I want to buy a booster cushion to have the seatbelt sit correctly in my hugely expensive car

 

[init6]

Perhaps I'm not quite following this. When you have two cushions on the seat, does you head hit the roof when you get out? Is there scope for you to raise the seat more?

 

[Lockey]

I'm not a big fan of the higher position in the MY (prob in a minority here!). I'm very short so tend to have problems getting a comfy driving position, which I've done no probs with a wedge cushion, seat & seatbelt adjustment in my M3. If I do the same in my husbands MY I have to pretty much jump out of it as my feet are nowhere near the ground. The first time I got out of it I almost face planted into a bush as I forgot about the higher position

 

[mattdav]

Hi @init6,

I've just jumped into the car again and raised the seat to its highest position - have a go of that, it's really high and if I lean forward, I hit my head on the sun visor. Anyway, see the two (rubbish quality) photos with the seat at max height and the seatbelt position on the B pillar at the top and bottom. As the anchor point for the seatbelt has moved up with the seat, there's little to no effect on the way the belt sits, even if I could drive with the seat that high.

I've never had an issue like this in any other car.

 

[Neilman]

I have a similar problem in my M3LR and tried to solve it with a seatbelt cover - a wrap-around sleeve fastened with a velcro strip.
It kind-of worked but in use always tended to slide along the belt a bit and exposing bare seatbelt at the neck again.
Biggest annoyance with the cover was, whilst it slid along the belt in use, it fouled with the seatbelt retraction when getting out - the cover had to be slid down the belt a bit to allow the belt to rolled back into the B-pillar mechanism.
My current solution is the simple use of the coat lapel.
From your pictures if you simply lift the coat lapel over the belt that gets the protection from 'raw belt' rubbing against the skin.
If its the fact that the belt is too high then yes you will need to raise the seat (or yourself) as best you can

 

[spdpsba]

I have a problem with the seatbelt of my MY rubbing my neck. Am I doing something unusual with my seat position or do loads of you have this problem and just ignore or buy a seatbelt padded cover etc. It's the only niggle I have with my car but it's _every_ time I use it.

I'm 5' 10" and I'd say pretty average build. I don't think I have the seat in an unusual position - just comfortable so that I can look through the middle of the windscreen.

The seatbelt adjuster is as low as it can go but I've also tried raising it as well as playing around with the adjustment of my seat.

I can't find a solution that works. Is everyone in the same boat? There is a (US-centric) thread on here discussing this and people suggest devices you can buy to change the path of the belt. Others warn that adjusting the way the belt fits could reduce its effectiveness. At the moment, if I had an accident I suspect I would end up with a neck cut/injury.

This is the 15th car I've owned and I've never had a problem with a seatbelt before.

View attachment 911052

I had the same problem but with my Model 3. I just use these seat belt adjusters - it definitely fixed seat belt rubbing my neck. It costs just £2.

Amazon.co.uk

 

[Casss]

Hi @init6,

I've just jumped into the car again and raised the seat to its highest position - have a go of that, it's really high and if I lean forward, I hit my head on the sun visor. Anyway, see the two (rubbish quality) photos with the seat at max height and the seatbelt position on the B pillar at the top and bottom. As the anchor point for the seatbelt has moved up with the seat, there's little to no effect on the way the belt sits, even if I could drive with the seat that high.

View attachment 911509

View attachment 911510

I've never had an issue like this in any other car.

This is just incorrect seating position / adjustment IMO. When you put your arms out in front of you - can you just touch the bottoms of your wrists on the top of the steering wheel with a very slight bend in your arms? What angle are you legs at in relation to the seat and pedals, and are you sat almost completely upright in these photos?

I'm wondering if the seat angle is the primary issue here - considering human factors is a tricky one - everyone is a different shape. "Average" is just a large median grouping after all. It doesn't really exist.

Stands to reason that if you angle the seat back a bit, and keep your back flat against the back of the seat, the belt will be off the top of your sternum, and will sit across the right of your chest and shoulder as it should.

 

[mattdav]

Second final update on this!

I spent a good 5 mins adjusting my seat - moved it right down and back, moved the steering wheel away etc. and started from scratch. I've now found a position that I think is ok - time will tell.

Usually, people comment that I have my seat too reclined. I've had a play, I'm a bit happier now but still a bit miffed that after 35 years of driving in many different cars, this is the first time I've had to really think about this. It's probably me and if all else fails, I'll look at seatbelt clips.

Thanks all for the comments and suggestions.

 

[khyros]

same here, I'm 6ft 1in and I have the same issue. I'm now used to this. First time in any car this happens. The seatbelt adjustments are just rubbish, and so is the whole panel as it rattles and squeaks all the time.

 

[spdpsba]

Second final update on this!

I spent a good 5 mins adjusting my seat - moved it right down and back, moved the steering wheel away etc. and started from scratch. I've now found a position that I think is ok - time will tell.

Usually, people comment that I have my seat too reclined. I've had a play, I'm a bit happier now but still a bit miffed that after 35 years of driving in many different cars, this is the first time I've had to really think about this. It's probably me and if all else fails, I'll look at seatbelt clips.

Thanks all for the comments and suggestions.

I can see many men contributing on this but wondering whether women have different issues in relation to seat belt?
I saw an advert for tiddy bear , they say it encourages women to wear seat belts . Across the pond it looks like problems are different! The bear stays face down