My wife has a 2001 Tribute. When I buckle up in the passenger seat the tensioner locks me in place. I can unbuckle normally. Driver’s side is fine. To get around the problem, I pull the entire seat belt out before buckling and secure it. This has happened to me with other vehicles but always in the passenger seat. We’re in the process of buying a 2012 Honda CRV. During the test drive I had the exact problem. I’m a big guy but I’m not THAT big. Is there something in the tensioner design that says if a given amount of belt is extracted, the system locks?
Passenger seatbelts have an automatic locking mode that is intended for use with a child seat. If the seatbelt is pulled out completely and released it is in child seat mode, the belt will retract but no longer allow free extension of the belt.
Try to avoid pulling the shoulder belt all the way out.