Seat Belt TENSIONER: Description
Seat belt tensioners supplement the dual front airbags for this vehicle. The seat belt tensioners are integral to the front seat belt buckle units, which are secured by a large hex nut (3) to a stud on the outside of the inboard seat cushion frames of the right and left front seats. The tensioner is concealed beneath the molded plastic inner seat cushion side shield. The seat belt tensioner (2) consists primarily of a buckle, an accordion-like molded plastic scabbard, a cable and piston, a pulley and bracket, a steel cylinder tube, and a small pyrotechnically activated gas generator. Except for the buckle and scabbard, all of these components are concealed by the seat cushion side shield.
The seat belt tensioners are controlled by the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) and are 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 (1) to ensure a secure connection. The seat belt tensioners for many vehicles have a second connection through a two-wire pigtail and connector to the seat wire harness for an integral seat belt switch. Many vehicles, including those equipped with the optional Occupant Classification System (OCS) have a seat belt switch in both front seat belt buckles. Some vehicles without the OCS have only the switch in the driver side front seat belt buckle connected.
The seat belt tensioners 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 seat belt tensioners have also been deployed. The seat belt tensioners are not intended for reuse and must be replaced following any front airbag deployment. (Refer to ELECTRICAL/RESTRAINTS/SEAT BELT BUCKLE - REMOVAL) .