Fiat Bravo Quiz
Body

The belt tensioner

In this manual: Body
Dear Reader — 1Engine — 35Engine lubrication — 3Engine cooling — 10Ignition/spark plugs — 14Fuel system — 10Petrol fuel injection — 13Diesel injection system — 13Exhaust system — 7Clutch — 7Transmission / Gearshift / Automatic Transmission — 5Front Axle — 11Rear axle — 4Steering — 9Wheel alignment — 1Brake system — 22Wheels and tyres — 10Body — 34Heating — 6Electrical system — 39Lighting system — 14Instruments — 7Windscreen wiper system — 8Vehicle care / tools — 6Jump Starting / Towing the Vehicle — 3Jacking up the vehicle — 1Fiat Bravo / Brava Maintenance Schedule — 1Maintenance — 38Wiring diagrams — 5
~1min read

The pyrotechnic belt tensioners are integrated into the front seat belt retractors. In a frontal collision, the belt tensioners keep the seat belts snug against the body.

This prevents occupants from sliding under the seat belt. The belt tensioners are only triggered in a frontal collision. Lower decelerations, such as extremely hard braking, do not trigger the belt tensioners.

Der gurtstraffer

When the belt tensioner triggers - 1 - the inertia mass - 2 - is displaced against the force of the spring - 3 - and the gas generator - 4 - is ignited. The gas expands instantly and pushes the piston - 5 - upward in the expansion chamber. At the same time, the retractor - 7 - of the belt - 8 - is tensioned via the pull cable - 6 -, pulling the fastened belt in the direction of arrow - 9 - and shortening it by a defined amount.

The belt tensioner is maintenance-free. If the seat belt locks, either the belt tensioner has triggered or the automatic retractor is faulty. In both cases the belt tensioner must be replaced (workshop job). Caution: before disposing of a belt tensioner that has not triggered, it must be forcibly triggered (workshop job).

Der gurtstraffer

Warning: For safety reasons, removal and installation of the front seat belts should be left to a workshop. To prevent unintentional triggering of the belt tensioner, the arming clip - 3 - must be unscrewed with bolt - 4 - before any work on the front seat belt. 1 - belt tensioner, 2 - mounting bolt on body, 5 - retaining ring for shear bolt - 4 -, 6 - bracket, a - Brava version, b - Bravo version, c - direction of travel.

When handling the belt tensioner, also observe the airbag safety notes, see page 160.

Test yourself

A quick Fiat Bravo quiz: every answer comes with an explanation and a link to the manual page.