XC70 Seat Belt Problem.
 

After finding myself unable to release the Drivers Seat Belt buckle on my 08reg XC70, I had to resolve this in the end by splitting open the plastic case around the part in order to release the belt buckle.
I ordered a replacement part from Ebay, but then was led to believe that this was a recognised fault with these seat belts, and in fact there was a recall last year to rectify this.
However after contacting my Local Volvo Dealer Lloyds Volvo of Carlisle I was told that the Recall only affected the Right Hand seat belt Tensioner, and not the Buckle parts.
Has anyone a comment about this?

08reg XC70 D5 Se Lux Geartronic

Volvo are correct.

Thats a bit disappointing because I have read about Volvo Seat Belts being difficult to release numerous times on here, as both of my front ones have been for some time.

Recall was for a different issue - one where the belts alignment could have resulted in belts being weakened, IIRC.

I had this, and when Wally went in for a new battery under warranty, I mentioned it to the service guy. It was making my thumb sore trying to push the button down far enough, even then it was difficult to release. anyway, they squirted some teflon lube down into the buckle release mechanism and hey presto, smooth as a silk thing.

Mine was ok after I removed the plastic Covers, I was able to push the belt buckle further to the Left and the Belt Popped Out. The Plastic Button Mechanism seemed badly worn and wasnt releasing the belt.

I've just sorted out the same issue in my 2014 V70 with a few drops of 3-in-1 oil, as suggested by my local Volvo specialist.

Firstly, I poured a couple of drops into the buckle mechanism, but this had no effect.

Then, I put a couple of drops on the upper side of the tongue and inserted and removed it a few times. That fixed the issue.

To remove any excess oil, I then wrapped some kitchen roll around the tongue and inserted and removed that a few times.

Now it's all good.

Silicone spray did the trick for mine. I wouldn't use oil as a residue can be left that attracts dust and grime. Also you could end up with oil on the tongue which could leave a stain on clothing.

PTFE (Teflon) dry spray wouldn't leave any staining if it wasn't combined with oil and would last a very long time.