Supplemental restraint systems for the front seat belts

Depending on the vehicle, these may consist of:

• front seat belt retractor pretensioners;
• chest load limiters;
• driver and passenger front airbags.

These systems are designed to operate separately or together in the event of frontal impacts.

Depending on the severity of the impact, the system may trigger:

• locking of the seat belt;
• the seat belt retractor pretensioner (which fires to take up belt slack);
• the airbags.

Pretensioners

Pretensioners are used to pull the belt firmly against the body and to hold the occupant against the seat, thereby increasing its effectiveness.

With the ignition on, in the event of a severe frontal impact, depending on the severity of the impact, the system may fire retractor pretensioner 1, which instantly retracts the belt.

• After an accident, have all restraint systems checked.
• Any work on the complete system (pretensioners, airbags, electronic control units, wiring) or reuse in any other vehicle, even an identical one, is strictly prohibited.
• To avoid unintentional deployment that could cause damage, only qualified personnel from the brand network are authorised to work on the pretensioners and airbags.
• Checking the electrical characteristics of the igniter must only be carried out by specially trained personnel using suitable equipment.
• When scrapping the vehicle, contact a brand representative to dispose of the gas generator in the pretensioners and airbags.