Sa f e ty belts
locks the belt when the belt is pu lled out fast,
during 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 driv-
ing the belt lets you move freely.
Safety belt preten sioners
The safety belts are equipped with a belt preten-
sioner that helps to tighten the safety belt and
remove slack when the pretensioner is activated
c> page 144 . The function of the pretensioner is
monitored by a warn ing light
c::> page 18.
Convertibl e locking retracto r
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertible locking retrac -
tor 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
c>page 177 .
_&. WARNING
Improperly pos it ioned safety be lts can cause
ser ious injury in an accident
c::> page 142,
Safety belt position.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upright and belts are
prope rly positioned on the body.
- Never at tach the safety belt to the buck le
for ano t her seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buckle will reduce safe t y belt effec-
t iveness and can cause ser ious persona l in-
jury.
- A passenger who is not proper ly restrained
can be seriously injured by the safety be lt it-
self when it moves from the stronger parts
of the body into critical areas like the abdo-
men.
- Always lock the convert ible locking retractor
when you are securing a child seat in the ve-
hicle
c::> page 179.
@ Tips
For information on safety be lt pretensioners,
refer to
c::> page 144.
142
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi-
mum protection from safety belts .
Fig. 160 Safety belt pos ition
Use the height adjustment to change the positio n
of the shoulder belt of the front safety belts.
_&. WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious personal injury in an accident.
- The shou lder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possib le and
should fit well on the body. Hold the belt
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest so that it sits as low as pos-
sible on the pe lvis and there is no pressure
on the abdome n. The belt sho uld a lways fit
snug ly
c::> fig. 160. Pull on the belt to tigh t en
if necess ary.
- A loose-fit t ing safety belt can cause serious
injuries by s hift ing its posit ion on your body
from the strong bones t o mo re vulnerab le,
so ft tissue and cause serious inju ry.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS an d
other impor tan t information
c::> page 140 .
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