# Belt Buckle Reversed and Stuck **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** belts, ford, ranger\ **Created:** [November 27, 2013, 3:52am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/belt-buckle-reversed-and-stuck/82410 "2013-11-27T03:52:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quantamm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/b5a626/32.png) [@Quantamm](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Quantamm)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 3:52am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/belt-buckle-reversed-and-stuck/82410/1 "2013-11-27T03:52:49Z")
I have a 97 Ford Ranger and the belt buckle got inserted into the latch in reverse. Now, I can’t get it out. I can depress the release button, but it won’t come out. I’ve tried rocking the buckle, but that doesn’t help. I’ve tried inserting a flat piece of metal into the latch to release it, but I can’t get it in there far enough. What I’m looking for is an easy “trick” to get this thing to release. The buckle and latch look like this: [http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/495841023/Brand-New-1990-1997-font-b-FORD-b-font-font-b-RANGER-b-font-SEAT-BELT.jpg](http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/495841023/Brand-New-1990-1997-font-b-FORD-b-font-font-b-RANGER-b-font-SEAT-BELT.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![pleasedodgevan2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ad7895/32.png) [@pleasedodgevan2](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pleasedodgevan2)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 10:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/belt-buckle-reversed-and-stuck/82410/2 "2013-11-27T10:44:59Z")
Putty knife maybe? Piece of sheet metal? Never had that problem. Hope something works. ---
**Author:** ![Quantamm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/b5a626/32.png) [@Quantamm](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Quantamm)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/belt-buckle-reversed-and-stuck/82410/3 "2013-11-29T22:04:10Z")
Upon looking at the buckle more, it looks like the fact that its reversed has nothing to do with it. Looking in the other buckles, I can see some random debris in there, which makes me think that something is jamming the buckle. ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/belt-buckle-reversed-and-stuck/82410/4 "2013-11-29T22:58:12Z")
I wonder if spraying some silicon lubricant into the belt buckle might free things up. A couple of weeks ago, I was using my leaf blower. I turned it off and then the switch wouldn’t budge so I couldn’t turn it back on. I was up on my first story roof trying to blow out the eaves troughs on the second story–I had tubes attached to the blower. I was desperate to get the job finished and decided it was time for a new blower anyway. I went over to the nearest big box store, but they didn’t have a leaf blower that would accept my extension tubes nor did the store have extension tubes for any of their leaf blowers. I came home and decided to take the leaf blower apart. I found a lever that operated a slide switch. It was the switch that wouldn’t move. I sprayed contact cleaner into the switch, let it soak for 30 seconds and was able to move the switch. I worked the switch back and forth, reassembled the blower and it works perfectly. In your case, anything with a little lubricant–electrical contact spray, silicon spray, etc. might be just enough to make the metal parts in the buckle slippery so that they can be pulled apart. ---
**Author:** ![MG-McAnick](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mg-mcanick/32/188_2.png) [@MG-McAnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MG-McAnick)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/belt-buckle-reversed-and-stuck/82410/5 "2013-11-30T19:28:04Z")
I had this same issue on a Ranger. Luckily I was not held in by the belt when it got stuck. There is no way to insert the male into the female incorrectly. I got a pair of vice grips, put a nut onto the area that needed to be depressed, and pressed it with the vice grips. It still took a little work to jiggle it free. As it turned out, there was some crud inside the female which I then removed with compressed air. It never happened [again.as](http://again.as) long as I owned it.