27Seat belts
Incorrectly fastened seat belts
Incorrectly worn seat belts can cause severe or even mortal
injuries.
Seat belts can provide optimal protection only if the belt web is
properly worn. The seat belts must be fastened exactly in the order
described in this chapter. An incorrect sitting position impairs sub-
stantially the protection a seat belt offers and can lead to severe or
fatal injuries. The risk of severe or fatal injuries is especially in-
creased when a deploying airbag strikes a vehicle occupant who
has assumed an incorrect sitting position. As the driver, you are re-
sponsible for yourself and all passengers, especially children.
Therefore:
–Never allow anyone to wear the seat belt incorrectly while the
vehicle is moving ⇒ .
WARNING
●An incorrectly worn seat belt increases the risk of severe injuries.
●Before every trip, instruct your passengers to adjust their seat belts
properly and to wear them for the whole journey.
●Read and always observe information and warnings concerning the
use of seat belts ⇒ page 22.
Seat belt tensioners*
Function of the seat belt tensioner
During a frontal collision, the seat belts on the front seats
are retracted automatically.
The seat belts for the occupants in the front seats are equipped with belt
tensioners. Sensors will trigger the belt tensioners during severe head-on,
lateral and rear collisions only if the seat belt is being worn. This retracts
and tightens the seat belts, reducing the forward motion of the occupants.
The seat belt tensioner can be triggered only once.
The belt tensioners will not be triggered in the event of light frontal and side
collisions, if the vehicle overturns, or in situations where no large forces act
on the front, side or rear of the vehicle.
Note
●If the seat belt tensioners are triggered, a fine dust is produced. This is
normal and it is not an indication of fire in the vehicle.
●The relevant safety requirements must be observed when the vehicle or
components of the system are scrapped. Specialised workshops are famili-
ar with these regulations, which are also available to you.
Service and disposal of belt tensioners
The belt tensioners are components of the seat belts that are installed in
the seats of your vehicle. If you work on the belt tensioners or remove and
install parts of the system when performing other repair work, the seat belt
may be damaged. The consequence may be that, in the event of an acci-
dent, the belt tensioners function incorrectly or not at all.
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