Description

DESCRIPTION

The driver side front seat belt incorporates dual tensioners: one integral to the retractor, and one integral to the buckle. In vehicles manufactured for domestic markets, the passenger side front seat belt uses a single tensioner integral to the retractor. In vehicles manufactured for export markets, the passenger side front seat belt incorporates dual tensioners: one integral to the retractor, and one integral to the buckle.

RETRACTOR TENSIONER





Seat belt retractor tensioners supplement the dual front and side curtain airbag system for all versions of this vehicle. These tensioners are integral to the front seat belt and retractor units (1), which are secured to the B-pillars on the right and left sides of the vehicle. The retractors are concealed beneath the molded plastic B-pillar trim. The seat belt tensioner consists primarily of a molded plastic tensioner housing (2), a tubular metal piston housing (3), a piston, a short rack gear, a set of pinion gears, a pyrotechnically activated gas generator (5), and a short pigtail wire (4).

All of these components are located on one side of the retractor spool on the outside of the retractor housing. The seat belt tensioners are controlled by the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) and are connected to the vehicle electrical system through dedicated take outs of the body wire harness by keyed and latching molded plastic connector insulators to ensure a secure connection.

The retractor tensioners cannot be repaired and, if ineffective or damaged, the entire front seat belt and retractor unit must be replaced. The retractor tensioners are not intended for reuse and must be replaced following any front airbag deployment. A locked retractor that will not allow the seat belt webbing to be retracted or extracted is a sure indication that the seat belt tensioner has been deployed and requires replacement. Seat Belt and Retractor - Removal.

BUCKLE TENSIONER





A driver side seat belt buckle tensioner supplements the dual front and side curtain airbags for all versions of this vehicle. In vehicles manufactured for export markets, a passenger side seat belt buckle tensioner also supplements the dual front and side curtain airbags. This tensioner is integral to the front seat belt buckle unit, which is secured by a large screw to the outside of the inboard seat cushion frame of the front seat. The buckle tensioner consists primarily of a buckle (2), a molded plastic scabbard (1), a cable and piston, a cable guide and bracket (5), a steel cylinder tube (4), and a small pyrotechnically activated gas generator.

The buckle tensioner is controlled by the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) and is connected to the vehicle electrical system through a dedicated take out of the seat wire harness by a keyed and latching yellow molded plastic connector insulator to ensure a secure connection. The buckle tensioner connector is shared by two pigtail harnesses (3): one two-wire squib pigtail and a second two-wire pigtail for the integral seat belt switch.

The buckle tensioner cannot be repaired and, if ineffective or damaged, the entire front seat belt buckle unit must be replaced. If the front airbags have been deployed, the buckle tensioners have also been deployed. The buckle tensioners are not intended for reuse and must be replaced following any front airbag deployment. Seat Belt Buckle - Removal.