To provide maxim um protection, safety belts
must always be positio ned correctly on the
wearer's body .
... Adjust the front seat and head restraint
properly
c::> page 58, General recommenda-
tions .
... Hold the be lt by the tongue and pull it even -
ly across the chest and pelvis
c::> &,..
... Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
you r seat until you hear it latch securely
c::>fig. 161.
... Pull on the belt to make su re that it is se-
curely latched in the buckle .
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped with an automat-
ic belt retractor on the shoulder belt. This fea -
ture locks the belt when the belt is pulled out
fast, dur ing hard braking and in an accident .
The belt may also lock when you drive up or
down a steep hill or through a sharp curve .
During normal driving the belt let s you move
freely.
Safety belt pretensione rs
The safety belts are equipped with a belt pre-
tensioner that helps to t igh t en the safety belt
and remove s lack when the pretensione r is ac-
tivated
c::>page 149. The function of the pre -
tensioner is monitored by a warning light
c::> page 18 .
Switchable locking feature
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is eq uipped with a switchab le locking fea-
ture that
must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the
important information about this feature
<=>page 184.
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious injury in an accident
c::> page 147, Safety belt position .
- Safety belts offer optimum protection
only when the seatback is upright and
belts are properly positioned on the
body.
-
Safety belts 14 7
- Never attach the safety belt to the buck-
le for another seat. Attaching the belt to
the wrong buckle will reduce safety belt
effectiveness and can cause serious per-
sonal injury.
- A passenger who is not properly restrain-
ed can be seriously injured by the safety
be lt itself when it moves from the stron-
ge r parts of the body into critical ar eas
like the abdomen.
- Always lock the convertible locking re-
tracto r when you are secu ring a child
se at in the veh icle
c::>page 186.
@ Tips
For informat ion on safety belt pretension-
ers, refer to
c::> page 149 .
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting
maximum protection from safety belts .
Fig. 162 Safety belt pos it ion
Use t he heig ht adjus t ment t o change the posi-
tion of the shoulder belt of the front safety
belts.
A WARNING
'-
Improperly positioned safety be lts can
cause ser ious persona l injury in an acc i-
dent.
-
- The shou lder belt should lie as close to
the center of the collar bone as possible
and should fit well on the body. Hold the
be lt above the latch tongue and pull it
eve nly across the chest so that it sits as
low as possible on the pelvis and there is
no pressure on the ab domen. The belt .,_
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