Safety Belts - Child Restraint Feature

Group 72
Special Equipment

Bulletin Number
72 03 96

Woodcliff Lake, NJ
April 1996
Product Engineering

SUBJECT:
Safety Belts with Child Restraint Feature

MODELS:
All

Situation:

Beginning with September 1995 production, all new cars manufactured for sale in the United States must have safety belts in all seating positions, except the driver's, that are capable of locking in position to properly restrain a child safety seat.

The belts used in all BMW models meet this requirement by first pulling the belt out of the inertia reel as far as the end stop. Buckle the belt, and allow the slack to retract. The belt will now lock in this position. To release this feature, unbuckle the belt and allow it to retract fully.

Some passengers that are in the habit of pulling the belt fully out of the retractor, buckling it, and then letting the belt snap back may inadvertently engage this feature. To prevent this from happening, they should be advised not to pull the belt out all the way against the stop.

If an owner of an earlier model requests it, the new style belts may be retrofitted into earlier production cars per the applications listed in the parts system. The new style belts are shown on the parts system as "Belt with Child Protection".

Warranty Status:

Information only. Retrofitting of new style belts to fulfill a customer request is not covered under Warranty.